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iroiAI^A METHODISM 



BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE 



INTRODUCTION, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION 
OF METHODISM IN THE STATE; 



AND ALSO A 



HISTORY OF THE LITERARY INSTITUTIONS 

UNDER THE CARE OF THE CHURCH, 



SKETCHES OF THE PRINCIPAL METHODIST 
EDUCATORS IN THE STATE, 

DOWN TO 1872. . 
O-'^ J BY 

REV. R C HOLLIDAY, D. D. 






CINCINNATI: 

HITCHCOCK AND WALDEN. 

1873. 



1> 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, 

BY HITCHCOCK & WALDEN, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



PBEFACE. 



I 



N writing the folloAving account of Methodism in In- 
diana, I have desired not only to rescue from oblivion 
valuable information that would soon be lost, but also to 
pay a feeble, but justly merited, tribute to the heroic 
pioneers and founders of Methodism in our state. The 
record of their toils is found chiefly in the numerous and 
flourishing Churches that have sprung up all over the 
state, in the multitudes of living witnesses to the truth 
and power of the Gospel that they preached, in the 
schools of learning which they founded, in the vigor 
of the benevolent institutions which they fostered, and 
in the educational effect produced by their earnest and 
evangelical preaching on the public mind and conscience. 
The pulpit is always a popular educator, and its 
teachings are the basis of doctrinal belief, to a great ex- 
tent, in every Christian community. This is especially 
true in a community where books are scarce, and in a 
state of society where the opportunities for reading are 
limited. Such was necessarily the case with the early 
settlers in Indiana. 

3 



4 PREFACE. 

Methodism^ with its itinerant system, and its extem- 
pore method of preaching, found ready access to the 
people. Its doctrinal basis, so consonant with reason 
and revelation, was readily accepted by the masses. 
Total depravity — not total in degree, but in its univer 
sality as to the powers of the soul — universal redemp- 
tion, the duty of immediate repentance, justification by 
faith, regeneration, and perfect love, were the grand 
themes upon which they dwelt. They preached expe- 
rience doctrinally, and they preached doctrines experi- 
mentally. They were too busy to write the results 
of their labors. Their work was grander than their 
estimate of it; they planned and builded wiser than 
they knew. The function of the pulpit as a popular 
educator is grand. Its mission, always glorious, is pre- 
eminently so in a new country. 

The founders of Methodism in Indiana were, many 
of them, great preachers. Had the sermons of Allen 
Wiley, James Armstrong, Calvin W. Enter, George 
Locke, James Havens, and Richard Hargrave, been 
reported as they preached them, when, in the days 
of their vigor, the multitudes that were gathered from 
far and near attended their camp-meetings and quar- 
terly-meetings, they would have been regarded as grand 
specimens of pulpit eloquence. They would have com- 
pared favorably with the productions of the pulpit in 
any age or country. The pulpit with them was a sort 
of telegraph-office, and the people were so many wires 
in the hand of the preacher. They put themselves in 
full sympathy with their hearers; their words vibrated 



PREFACE. O 

from nerve to nerve. There is a power in human sym- 
pathy that is almost irresistible. They were men of 
deep, earnest convictions, and loving hearts. And who 
can resist the fascination of a loving nature? They 
were the prophets and pioneers of a better day. 

Their ministry was not only characterized by deep, 
earnest convictions, and true human sympathy; it had 
clearness, knowledge, force — convincing the judgment, 
arousing the conscience, establishing faith, nourishing 
earnestness, sustaining zeal, and satisfying the felt wants 
of the soul. They felt an agonizing determination to 
speak the words of truth to their fellow-men at all 
hazards. They were impelled by yearnings of super- 
human import. And while the modern pulpit has gained 
some in breadth and culture, some in refinement and 
surffice acquirements, it is well if it has lost nothing 
of the earnestness and honesty of the early days. 

The mission of the pulpit is the same to-day that it 
has ever been. It is the grand instrument, the Divinely 
appointed instrument, of the world's evangelization. And 
if the pulpit in our day has rare opportunities for use- 
fulness, it is also beset with remarkable difficulties. 
The platform is no mean rival to the pulpit. Popular 
lectures on current themes engross a large share of pub- 
lic attention in towns and cities, and command much 
of the attention of the better educated classes. And 
thus the platform becomes a rival to the pulpit. If the 
pulpit would retain the pre-eminence that it should, the 
sermon must have as much freshness and culture, as 
much breadth of thought and ease of manner, as the 



b PREFACE. 

lecture, and it must have superadded the unction of the 
Holy Ghost. 

The modern pulpit has another rival in the press, and 
especially in the style of modern literature. The paper, 
the magazine, and many of our books, are written in the 
most fascinating style. This is a reading age, and for 
the pulpit to retain its hold upon the popular mind, the 
sermon must be as interesting as the paper, the mag- 
azine, or the book. No book can perform the peculiar 
office of the pulpit. The pulpit is missionary in its char- 
acter; its office is to dig in the garden of the soul, to 
excavate a road for moral manhood, to indicate a path- 
way to moral attainments. No book can so well arouse 
flagging and exhausted powers, no book can so well 
grapple with wandering convictions, no book can so well 
quicken generous and active impulses, and no book can 
rebuke vice with the same withering, scathing force, as 
the voice of the living preacher. And while we honor 
the Fathers, and claim that theirs was an efficient min- 
istry, and adapted to the times, we can not admit that 
the pulpit, upon the whole, has lost any of its power. 
Some of the early founders of Methodism in Indiana yet 
remain with us, most of them suffering from the infirm- 
ities of age, Avhile a few, as Dr. A. Wood, of the North- 
western Conference, and Dr. E. G. Wood, of the South- 
eastern Conference, retain much of the sprightliness and 
vigor of their earlier years, with the ripeness and ma- 
turity of age. The spirit of Methodism is retained in 
its vigor, while its modes of operation have been mod- 
ified to suit the changed condition of society. 



PREFACE. 7 

Thus the large drcuit system has been superseded 
by smaller charges, and week-day preaching has nearly 
disappeared. Church interests and ministerial cares 
have greatly increased as Church institutions have mul- 
tiplied, and while long journeys and physical exposure 
have greatly diminished, intellectual exertion and moral 
responsibility have greatly increased. 

No notice has been taken of a number of ministers, 
who, for various causes, have seen fit to leave the minis- 
try, some for positions in other Churches, and some for 
secular pursuits. Such cases have been few, and subse- 
quent history will do them justice. It is enough at 
present to say that none of them have profited by their 
changes, and that the men who have remained faithful 
to their ministerial vows have been the men of the 
largest influence and the greatest success. 

Many interesting details in the history of Methodism 
in the state have been necessarily passed by, and much 
local history has been omitted for want of room. A 
full history of Indiana Methodism would fill three vol- 
umes of the size of this. What has been aimed at in 
this volume, is to make such a record of the introduction, 
progress, and present position of Methodism in Indiana, 
as will convey to the mind of the reader a just estimate 
of what Indiana Methodism is, what it has achieved, and 
the circumstances under which it has wrought out its 
results, without attempting a minute and consecutive 
history. It is hoped that the plan of the work will be 
acceptable to the majority of readers. 

I am indebted to the kindness of brethren in different 



8 PREFACE. 

parts of the state for valuable information. I have had 
free access to the Journal of Dr. A. Wood, and he 
has also furnished many valuable items from his own 
memory. The difficultyj and in many cases the failure, 
to obtain needed information, can not be appreciated, 
except by persons who have labored in the same field. 

Elliott's "Life of Bishop Roberts," Cartwright's "Au- 
tobiograph}^," Smith's " Indiana Miscellany," " The Life 
and Times of Wiley," the Indiana School Journal^ " The 
Census of the United States," and Dillon's "History 
of Indiana," have been consulted in the preparation of 
this work. Where local history has been written by 
parties on the ground, the names of the writers appear 
in connection with their articles. 

This work has been written under the pressure 
of ministerial duties, and does not claim to be invul- 
nerable to criticism. With devout thanks to God that 
the writer has been enabled to complete his self-im- 
posed task, and with a sincere prayer that the work 
may, to some extent, be useful, it is submitted to the 
public. 

F. C. HOLLIDAY. 

Indianapolis, ^une 5, 1872. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



Early Civil History — First Romish Church built in the Territory — First 
Governor and Civil Officers — First session of the " General Court of the 
Territory of Indiana" — First Grand Jury — Members of the House of Rep- 
resentatives — Governor's Message — Convention to form a Constitution for 
the State of Indiana — First General Assembly of the State of Indiana — 
Indiana admitted into the Union — First Senators elected — Early Public 
Men — Hugh Cull — Dennis Pennington — Ezra Ferris — James Scott — In- 
fluence of the Early Itinerants pages 17-22 

CHAPTER II. 

First Protestant Sermon preached in the Territory — First Methodist 
Society formed — Mr. Cartwright's Encounter with the Shakers — First Pas- 
toral Charge in the Territory — First Methodist Meeting-house — Whitewater 
Circuit — Indiana District organized — Indiana District in 1809 — First Prot- 
estant Preaching at Vincenues — William Winans — Indiana District in 181 — 
Prominent Members of the Conference — William M'Kendree — Charles Hol- 
liday — John ColHns — Learner Blackman — John Sale — James Quinn — Sol- 
omon Langdon — William Burke — James B. Finley — John Strange — James 
Axley — Division of the Western Conference — Missouri Conference organ- 
ized — Introduction of Methodism into Decatur County — First Prayer- 
meeting in the County — First Class formed — Anecdote of Mr. Garrison — 
Preaching established in Greensburg — Thomas Rice — Salaries of the Early 
Preachers— Illustration — First School taught in the Territory — Geo. K. 
Hester's account of the School — Sketch of the Introduction of Methodist 
Preaching into Clarke County by Rev. George K. Hester — Fir.st Traveling 
Preachers sent to the Grant — Benjamin Lakin and Ralph Lotspiech — First 
Society formed — Silver-creek Circuit organized — Camp-meeting held near 
Robertson's — Revivals — The Newlights — Memorable Revival of Religion in 
1819 — Illinois Conference held at Charlestown in 1825 — Bishop M'Kendree 

and Bishop Roberts both attend and preach pages 2,)-39 

(9) 



10 CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER III. 

Allen Wiley and C. W. Ruter admitted on Trial in the Ohio Confer- 
ence — Friendship of Wiley and Bigelow — Incidents — First Camp-meeting 
held in Indiana — Incidents of the Meeting — First Camp-meeting held near 
Madison — Allen Wiley preaches — Results of the Meeting — Camp-meeting 
near Cochran — Impressive Closing Services — Remarks on Camp-meetings — 
Charges in Indiana in 1818 — John Schrader's Account of his Early Labors — 
He is appointed to the Silver-creek Circuit — Administers the Sacrament for 
the first time in New Albany — Appointed to Spring-river Circuit, Arkansas 
Territory — Preaching under Difficulties — Manner of grinding Grain — Ap- 
pointed to Corydon Circuit, Indiana — Organization of the Missouri Confer- 
ence — He is appointed to Missouri Circuit — First Camp-meeting at Boone's- 
lick — Heroism of the Early Preachers — Early Jesuit Missionaries — Roman- 
ism and Protestantism contrasted — Number of Methodists in Indiana in 
1810 — Number in 1820 — Charges in Indiana — Memoir of Samuel Parker — - 
James Havens admitted on Trial — William Cravens received into the Mis- 
souri Conference — His Hatred of Slavery — An Incident — Remarks on the 
Labors of Havens and Cravens — Anecdote — Appointments in Indiana in 
1821 — Cravens appointed to Indianapolis — Connersville Circuit organized — 
Extract from the Journal of the Quarterly Conference for Connersville 
Circuit in 1822 — Support of the Pioneer Preachers — Appointments in In- 
diana in 1823 — Dr. A. Wood's Account of his Journey to his New Circuit — 
Account of his Year's Work — Division of Missouri Conference^Appoint- 
ments in Indiana in 1824 — Appointments on Madison Circuit... pages 40-62 

CHAPTER IV. 

First Session of the Illinois Conference — Charges in Indiana in 1825 — 
Appointments made at the Illinois Conference for Indiana — Preaching- 
places in Vincennes District in 1825 — Remarks on Circuits and Stations — 
Sketch of Rev. William Beauchamp — His Eloquence — Incident — Second 
Session of the Illinois Conference in 1826 — Number of Members returned 
for Indiana — Appointments made in Indiana — Preaching-places in Indian- 
apolis Circuit in 1825 — Honey-creek Circuit in 1825 — Paoli Circuit in 
182G — Appointments for Indiana at the Third Illinois Conference — Radical 
Controversy at Madison — Indiana Members reported at the Illinois Confer- 
ence in Madison, 1828 — Extent of Madison District — Revival in Lawrence- 
burg District — J. V. Watson — Indianapolis Station — Fall-creek— Camp- 
meeting at Pendleton — Incident connected with the Meeting by Wiley — 
Illinois Conference at Edwardsville, Illinois, 1829 — Incidents concerning 
John Strange — Illinois Conference in Vincennes in 1830 — Number of Mem- 
bers reported — Indianapolis District organized-^Fort Wayne Mission or- 
ganized — South Bend Mission formed — Division of Illinois Conference — 



INDIANA METHODISM. 11 

First Session of the Indiana Conference — Number of Members reported — 
Incident of Allen Wiley — Meeting held in Fort Wayne pages 63-76 

CHAPTER V. 

Retrospective View — First Settlers — First Preachers — Settlement of 
Clarke County — Quaker Settlements — Vincennes District in 1811 — "Rang- 
ers" of 1812 — New Harmony Colony — First Methodist Preaching in Vigo 
County — Incident — Introduction of Methodism in Harrison County — Early 
Men of Note — Dennis Pennington — "Uncle Walter Pennington" — "Uncle 
Billy Saft'er" — Edward Pennington — Early Methodists in New Albany — 
Peter Stoy, Aaron Daniels, and Others — First Society in Jeffersonville — So- 
cieties in Charlestown and Madison — Methodist Preaching in Rising Sun — 
Manner of Introduction — First Class formed — Lawrenceburg Circuit organ- 
ized — Mr. Bartholomew — Isaac Dunn — Rev. Elijah Sparks — Mrs. Amos 
Lane — Isaac Mills — Jacob Blasdell — Rev. Daniel Plummer — Rev. A. J. 
Cotton — Samuel Goodwin — Rev. Augustus Jocelyn— Hugh Cull — White- 
water Circuit formed — Israel Abrams — Camp-meeting near Saulsbury — 
Methodism established at Moore's Hill — Adam Moore and Others — John 
C. Moore — Moore's Hill — Origin of the Name — Influence of Local Preach- 
ers — Names of Noted Local Preachers — " Sketch of Early Society in Indi- 
ana," by Rev. A. Wood — The Missionary District in 1882 — First Camp-meet- 
ing in Laporte County — Introduction of Methodism into Elkhart County — 
First Camp-meeting in the County — Local Preachers in Connersville and 
Whitewater Circuits — James Conwell and others — An Old-fashioned Quar- 
terly-meeting — Dr. Benjamin Adams — John Strange — Account of his La- 
bors — Letter of John Schrader — Facts in the Early History of the Church — 
Preaching in Bar-rooms — Incident — "Characteristics of the early Indiana 
Settlers," by Rev. A. Wood pages 77-101 

CHAPTER VI. 

QENERAL NARRATIVE. 

Rev. Edwin Ray — His Life and Labors — Benjamin C. Stephenson — 
Indiana Conference in 1833 — Sketch of John Strange — Anthony F. Thomp- 
son — Indiana Conference in 1834 — George Locke — Reminiscences of his 
Labors — Sketch of James Armstrong — Nehemiah B. Griffith — James Arm- 
strong appointed Missionary — His Personal Appearance and Manner of 
Preaching — First Societies formed in the State — Elkhart Circuit formed — 
Indiana Conference in 1835 — Origin of the "Preachers' Aid Society" — Ed- 
ward R. Ames, Agent — Indiana Conference in 183G — Indiana Asbury Uni- 
versity located at Greencastle — John C. Smith, Agent — Camp-meeting on 
Rushville Circuit in 1837 — Memorable Storm — Anecdote connected with 
Ames and Smith — Indiana Conference in 1837 — Scene on a Steam-boat — 
George Randle — John Decker — Wm. Evans — Eli P. Farmer and Others — 
Asa Beck — James Scott — Thomas S. Hitt and Isaac N. Ellsbury — Robert 



12 CONTENTS. 

Burns, Joseph Oglesby, and Others — Anecdote of J. V. Watson — Wm. H. 
Goode appointed President of New Albany Seminary — Is succeeded by 
George Harrison — Founders of the Institution — Indiana Conference in 
1838 — Traveling to Conference in Early Times — Incident — Indiana Confer- 
ence in 1889 — Indiana German Mission established — First Missionaries — 
Contributions to Missions in 1835 and in 1840 pages 102-126 

CHAPTER VII. 

FROM 1841 TO 18S6. 

Indiana Conference in 1841 — George K. Hester — Thomas Gunn— Isaac 
Kelso — Indiana Conference in 1842 — E. W, Sehon and Edmund S. Janes 
address the Conference — Embarrassment of Janes — Indiana Conference in 
1843 — General Conference in 1843 — Indiana Delegates — Indiana divided 
into two Conferences — Indiana Conference in 1844 — John A. Decker — 
Ebenezer Patrick — North Indiana Conference in 1845 — Peter R, Guthrie 
and Daniel S. Elder — Growth of Methodism from 1832 to 1843 — Division 
of the State into four Conferences — Benjamin T. Griffith — Walter Prescott — 
James E. Tiffany — Wm. C. Hensley — Francis F. Sheldon — Emmons Rut- 
ledge — Isaac Crawford — Hosier J. Durbin — Isaac Owen — His Life and 
Labors — Calvin W. Ruter — His Character and Services — James Jones — Seth 
Smith — George M. Beswick — John H. Bruce — Statistics for 1856 — The Early 
Circuit System — ^Results of rehnquishing Week-day Preaching — Effect of 
building Churches too close together in the Country pages 127-138 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Sketch of Samuel G Cooper — Samuel Brenton — Indiana Conference in 
1857 — George W. Ames — Transfers — Wm. H. Metts — Time of holding North 
Indiana Conference changed — Increase in Membership in 1857 — North In- 
diana Conference in 1859 — Joseph R. Downey appointed Missionary to 
India — South-eastern Indiana Conference in 1859 — Delegates to General 
Conference — Indiana Conference Delegates — North Indiana Conference 
Delegates — North-west Indiana Conference Delegates — Churches in Indiana 
in 1860, -from ''United States Census Report" — Methodist Liberality — Allen 
Wiley — His Character and Labors — Sessions of the Indiana Conference 
down to 1850 — Annual Increase of Ministers and Membership from the 
organization of the Conference to 1851 — Growth of North Indiana Confer- 
ence from its organization to 1851 — Aggregate Membership in the State in 
1850— Number in 1860 pages 139-147 

CHAPTER IX. 

Prosperity of the Church during the Civil War — Increase in Church 
Property — Loyalty of Indiana Methodists — Reiharks on the Origin of the 
\YiiT — Election of Mr, Lincoln — Peace Convention — Significance of Mr. 



CONTENTS. 13 

Lincoln's Election — Bombardment of Fort Sumter — Call for Volunteers — 
Indiana's Response — The Political Value of Methodism to the Preservation 
of the National Life — Remark of Chief Justice Chase — Estimate of Meth- 
odist Voters in Indiana — Number of Methodist Voters in the Loyal States — 
Moral Compensations of the War — Retrospective View of the Church — Eai-ly 
Circuits — Location of the Places of Worship — Church Architecture — The 
Vested Funds for Church Purposes in Indiana — Preachers' Aid Societies — 
Amount Paid for Ministerial Support — Benevolent Contributions — Meth- 
odism and Population — Statistics of African Methodist Episcopal Church — 
Methodism among the Germans pages 148-159 

CHAPTER X. 

Retrospect of the Conferences — Indiana Conference : Number of 
Preachers — Presiding Elders — Members — Value of Church Property — Num- 
ber of Sunday-schools, Officers and Teachers — Superannuated Members of 
the Conference — Sessions of the Conference from 1-832 to 1851 — Time, 
Place, Presiding Bishop, Principal Secretary — North Indiana Confer- 
ence: Number of Preachers — Presiding Elders — Church Members — Sunday- 
schools, Officers, and Teachers — Value of Church Property — Superannuated 
Preachers — Sessions of the Conference from 1841 to 1871 — South-eastern 
Indiana Conference: Preachers, Church Members — Value of Church Prop- 
erty — Sunday-schools, Officers, and Teachers — Benevolent Contributions — 
Presiding Elders — Superannuated Members — Sessions of the Conference 
from 1852 to 1871 — North-west Indiana Conference: First Session — 
Number of Preachers — Superannuates — Presiding Elders — Statistics of the 
Conference — Institutions of Learning under the care of the Conference — 
Missionaries connected with the Conference — Sessions of the Conference 
from 1852 to 1871 pages 160-166 

CHAPTER XL 

Sabbath-school Cause — Sabbath-school organized by Bishop Asbury in 
1786 — Resolutions passed by the General Conference of 1824 — Organ- 
ization of the "Sunday-school Union of the Methodist Episcopal Church" — 
Rules of the Discipline relating to Sunday-schools in 1828 — In 1832 — In 
1840 — Reorganization of "Sunday-school Union" — "Sunday-school Advo- 
cate" Established — Sunday-school Convention in 1844 — Superintendents 
admitted into the Quarterly Conference — Rules of the Discipline on Sun- 
day-schools in 1861 — Sunday-schools in Indiana — Statistics... pages 167-172 

CHAPTER XII. 

Methodism in some of the Principal Towns of the State — Jefferson- 
ville; by Rev. R. Curran, M. D. — First Society formed — Persons com- 
posing It — Quarterage paid — First Quarterly-meeting held — Preacher's 



14 CONTENTS. 

Salary — Mention of Prominent Female Workers— Early Class-leaders — First 
Record of Churcli Property — First Church built — Erection of Wall-street 
Church — Dedication — Celebration of the Centenary of Methodism — Present 
Statistics — New Albany — First Church built — Sacrament administered for 
the First Time — Number of Churches at the Present Time — De Pauw Col- 
lege — Mission Churches — Richmond; by Rev. Thomas Comstock — First 
Settlement of Wayne County — Hugh Cull — Arrival of Mr. Elliott — First 
Sermon preached — First Society formed — Whitewater Circuit formed — First 
Church built — Incident of Mr. Cull's Preaching — Meek's Meeting-house 
built — First Camp-meeting — Temperance Pledge — First Sunday-school in 
Wayne County — Introduction of Methodism into Richmond — First Meth- 
odist Church built in the Town — Two-days' Meeting — First Sunday-school 
in Richmond — Brick Church built — Formation of Second Charge — Grace 
Church built — Third Charge formed — Present State of the Churches — - 
Indianapolis — Indianapolis Circuit organized — Anecdote concerning Rev. 
Jesse Hale — First Place of Worship in Indianapolis — First Society formed — 
First Sermon preached — First Sunday-school — Wesley Chapel built — East- 
ern Charge organized — Asbury Chapel — Strange Chapel — California-street 
Church — Trinity — Third-street — Ames — Massachusetts-avenue — German 
Methodists — S. N. Phipps — Mrs. Paxton — Mrs. Given — John Wilkins — Mrs. 
Alfred Harrison — Mrs. Richmond — Calvin Fletcher, Esq. — Rev. Joseph Mar- 
see — Morris Morris — Gen. T. A. Morris — Relative Strength of the Churches 
in the City — List of Appointments to IndianapoHs from 1821 to 1842 — 
Washington, Daviess County — Organization of the Society — First Church 
built — Revivals — Lafayette; by Rev, N L. Brakeman — First Methodist 
Sermon — Preaching-places on Crawfordsville Circuit in 1828 — Logansport 
Mission formed — Church organized in Lafayette — First Quarterly-meeting — 
Anecdote of Mr. Strange — Present Church built — Ninth-street Church — 
Colored Methodist Church — Sixth Ward Methodist Episcopal Church — 
Trinity — Chauncey Church — Present Strength of Methodism — South Bend — 
Account of John Brownfield, Esq. — First Methodist Prayer-meeting — First 
Class organized — First Sunday-school — First Board of Church Trustees — 
Church built — Portage Chapel built — Second Charge — Enterprise of the 
"Ladies' Mite Society" — Value of Churcli Property — Anderson; by Rev. 
W. H. Goode, D. D. — First House of Worship — Present Church Buildings — 
Numerical Relation of the Church Membership to the Population — Peru — 
First Class formed — First Church built — Main-street Church — St. Paul's 
Church — Terre Haute — First Mention in the Minutes — Minister's Ap- 
pointed — Boarding-school for Young Ladies — Anecdote of Mrs. Locke — 
Sketch of Methodism in Terre Haute, by Col. Thomas DoAvling — First 
Church Organization — First Ministers — Present Church erected — Early 
State of Society — Ministers appointed to the Charge — Matthew Simpson — 
Church Statistics— Madison — Early Methodists — Mr. MTntire — Gamaliel 
Taylor — Radical Controversy — Wesley Chapel — Roberts Chapel — St. John's — 
Church Statistics — Vincennes — Value of Church Property — Number of 



CONTENTS. 15 

Members — Fort Wayne — First Class formed — First Sunday-school — Pres- 
ent Statistics — Fort Wayne College — Origin of the College — Value of Prop- 
erty — Names of Presidents — Evansville — Circuit Preaching established — 
Present Charges — Statistics pages 173-240 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Social Achievements of Methodism — Hon. Amos Lane — Hon. Henry 
Blasdell — Hon. John H. Thompson — Rev. Samuel Brenton — Hon. James 
Whitcomb — Hon. Joseph A. Wright — Hon. Elisha Embree — Hon. R. W. 
Thompson — Hon. Henry S. Lane — Hon. A. C. Downey — Hon. Will Cum- 
back — Mrs. Larrabee — Mrs. Locke — Mrs. Julia Dumont — Father Stock- 
well — Hon. W. C. De Pauw — John C. Moore — Indiana Missionaries — Joseph 
R. Downey — Elect Ladies — Eveline Thomas — Lydia Hawes... pages 241-246 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE FATHERS. 

Rev. a. Wood, D. D. — Rev. Joseph Tarkington — Rev. Enoch Gr. Wcjod, 
D. D. — Rev. John Schrader — Rev. John Miller — Rev. Amasa Johnson — Rev. 
Asa Beck — Rev. James Scott — Rev. Elijah Whitten — Rev. Henry S. Tal- 
bott — Rev. Richard Hargrave — Rev. Robert Burns — Rev. John W. Sulli- 
van — Rev. David Stiver — Rev. James T, Robe — Rev. Charles Bonner — 
Rev. John Kearns — Rev. John C. Smith — Rev. John A. Brouse — Rev. 
James Havens — Rev. Calvin W. Ruter — Rev. Allen Wiley — Rev. Augustus 
Eddy PAGES 247-276 

CHAPTER XV. 

METHODIST EDUCATORS. 

Rev. W. H. Goode, D. D.— Rev. Cyrus Nutt, D. D.— Rev. W. C. Larrabee, 
LL. D.— Dr. Tefft— Rev. T. H. Lynch, D. D.— Rev. John Wheeler, D. D.— 
Rev. T. A. Goodwin, A. M.— Rev. Philander Wiley, A. M. — Dr. Benson — 
Rev. Wm. M. Daily, D. D.— Geo. W. Hoss, A. M.— B. T. Hoyt, A. M.— 
Prof. Joseph Tingley, Ph. D. — Prof. S. A. Lattimore — Rev. Daniel Curry, 
D. D.— Dr. Nadal— Dr. Bragdon— Rev. B. F. Rawlins, D. D.— Albion Fel- 
lows, A. M.— J. P. Rouse, A. M.— Rev B. W. Smith, A. M.— Rev W. R. 
Goodwin, A. M.— Rev. 0. H. Smith, A. M.— Wm. H. De Motte, A. M.— Rev 
Thos. Harrison, A. M. — Rev. J. P. D. John, A. M. — Rev. Jno. W. Locke, 
D. D.— J. M. Olcott, A. M.— Rev. J. H. Martin, A. M.— Rev. S. R. Adams, 
A. M.— Miles J. Fletcher, A. M.— Rev. L. W. Berry, D. D.— Rev. Thos. 
Bowman, D. D.— Rev Erastus Rowley, D. D.— Rev. G. W. Rice— Rev. A. 
.Gurney— Rev. R. D. Utter pages 277-316 



16 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

METHODIST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 

Early Educational Funds controlled by Presbyterians — Effort to amend 
the Charter of the "State University" — The Legislature memorialized — 
"Indiana Asbury University" founded — First Meeting of the Board of 
Trustees — First Commencement — "New Albany Seminary" — "De Pauw 
College" — "Fort Wayne College" — "Whitewater College" — "Brookville 
College" — "Moore's Hill College"— Educational Record for Indiana- 
Names of Institutions pages 317-323 

CHAPTER XVII. 

INDIANA BISHOPS. 

Bishop R. R. Roberts — Licensed to Preach and admitted into the Con- 
ference — Circuits and Stations filled — Elected to the Episcopacy — Fact 
leading to his Election — Removes to Indiana — His Personal Appearance — 
His Manner — Extract from " The Fallen Heroes of Indiana Methodism," 
by Hon. R. W. Thompson — Example of his Kindness and Forbearance — 
Account of his Preaching, by Hon. Mr. Thompson — Funeral Services at 
Greencastle — Erection of a Monument — Bishop Matthew Simpson — Enters 
the Ministry — Elected President of "Indiana Asbury University" — Elected 
Editor of the "Western Christian Advocate" — Elected Bishop — His Services 
in tke Cause of Education — He visits Europe — His Services during the 
War — Bishop E. R. Ames — His Ancestors — His Early Life — Opens a High 
School at Lebanon — Elected "Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary 
Society" — Elected President of "Indiana Asbury University" — Elected 
Bishop — His Personal Appearance — Manner of Preaching pages 324-337 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

FROM 1870 TO 1872. 

Fortieth Session of the Indiana Conference — Death of B. F, Torr and 
Thomas A. Whitted — Delegates to the General Conference of 1872 — Con- 
gratulations between the Electoral Conference and the Annual Conference — 
Statistics and Contributions — South-eastern Indiana Conference — Lay and 
Clerical Delegates to the General Conference — Thomas Ray — John W. 
Dole — William T. Saunders — Members — Church Property — Contributions — 
Largest Churches— Sketch of S. T. Gillett, D. D.— Twentieth Session of 
the North-west Indiana Conference — Electoral Conference — Resolutions 
against a Change in our Church Economy — Delegates to the General Con- 
ference — Members — Contributions — Educational — Twenty-ninth Session of 
the North Indiana Conference — Members — Contributions — Electoral Con- 
ference — Delegates to the General Conference^— Resolutions on Conference 
Boundary — Lay Delegation — Thomas Bowman, D. D pages 338-360 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



CHAPTER I. 



Early Civil History — First Romish Church built in the Territory — First 
Governor and Civil Officers — First Session of the " General Court 
of the Territory of Indiana" — First Grand Jury — Members of the 
House of Representatives — Governor's Message — Convention to 
form a Constitution for the State of Indiana — First General Assem- 
bly of the State — Indiana admitted into the Union — First Senators 
elected — Early PubHc Men — Hugh Cull — Dennis Pennington — Ezra 
Ferris — James Scott — Influence of the Early Itinerants. 

THE first white settlements in the territory of Indiana 
were made by French traders. The villages of the 
Miamies, which stood at the head of the Maumee Iliver, 
the Wea villages, situated about Oniatenon on the 
Wabash River, and the Piankeshaw villages, which stood 
near the present site of Vincennes, were regarded by the 
early French fur-traders as suitable places for the estab- 
lishment of trading-posts. As early as 1719, temporary 
trading-posts were erected at the sites of Fort Wayne, 
Oniatenon, and Vincennes. The Romish Church, with 
a zeal and perseverance which must command our 
highest admiration, are found on the frontiers of civil- 
ization. The missionary of the Church was close on the 
track of the fur-trader and the trapper. The first 
Church in the territory was established by a Romish 

2 17 



18 . INDIANA METHODISM. 

missionary by the name of Meurin, at the Piankeshaw 
village, in 1749, where the city of Vincennes now is. 
In 1750 a small fort was built at the same place, and 
another slight fortification was erected, about the same 
time, at the mouth of the Wabash River. Vincennes 
received considerable accessions to its white population 
in 1754, 1755, and 1756, by the arrival of emigrants 
from Detroit, Kaskaskia, Canada, and New Orleans. 
On the division of the territory of the United States 
north of the Ohio River, by the act of Congress of May 
7, 1800, the material parts of the ordinance of July 13, 
1787, remained in force in the territory of Indiana, and 
the inhabitants of the new territory w^ere invested with 
all the privileges and advantages granted and secured to 
the people by that ordinance. The seat of Government 
was fixed at Vincennes. 

On the 13th of May, 1800, William Henry Harrison 
was appointed Governor, and on the next day, John 
Gibson, a native of Pennsylvania, and a distinguished 
pioneer, to whom Logan, the Indian chief, delivered his 
celebrated speech, was appointed Secretary of the Ter- 
ritory. Soon afterward John Griffin, Henry Vanderburg, 
and William Clark were appointed Territorial Judges. 
The civilized population of the territory was estimated 
in 1800 at 4,875. Governor Harrison and the Territorial 
Judges held their first meeting at Vincennes, January 
12, 1801, for the purpose of adopting and publishing 
"such laws as the exigencies of the times" required, 
and "for the performance of other acts conformable to 
the ordinances and laws of Congress, for the government 
of the Territory." The Territorial Judges commenced 
the first session of the General Court of the Territory 
of Indiana at Vincennes, March 3, 1801. The first 
grand jury impaneled in the territory consisted of nine- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 19 

teen persons, as follows: Luke Decker, Antoine Mar- 
chal, Joseph Baird, Patrick Simpson, Antoine Petit, 
Andre Montplaiseur, John Ockiltree, Jonathan Marney, 
Jacob Tevebaugh, Alexander Valley, Francis Turpin, 
Fr. Compaynoitre, Charles Languedoc, Louis Severe, Fr. 
Languedoc, George Catt, John Bt. Barois, Abraham 
Decker, and Philip Catt. It will be readily inferred 
from these names that a large per cent of these early 
settlers were Frenchmen. The members of the first 
Legislature of the Indiana Territory convened in Yin- 
cennes, pursuant to the proclamation of the Governor, 
on the 29th of July, 1805. The members of the House 
of Representatives were Jessie B. Thomas, of Dearborn 
County, Davis Floyd, of Clark County, Benjamin Park 
and John Johnson, of Knox County, Shadrach Bond and 
William Beggs, of St. Clair County, and George Fisher, 
of Randolph County. In his message, delivered on the 
30th of July, 1805, the Governor congratulated the mem- 
bers of the General Assembly "upon entering on a grade 
of government which gave to the people the important 
right of legislating for themselves." The Convention to 
frame a constitution for the State of Indiana held its 
session in Corydon. The Convention Avas composed of 
clear-minded, practical men, whose patriotism was above 
suspicion, and whose morals were Mr. The first General 
Assembly, elected under the authority of the State Con- 
stitution, commenced its session at Corydon, then the 
capital of Indiana, on the 4th of November, 1816. The 
Territorial Government was thus superseded by a State 
Government, and the State formally admitted into the 
Union by a joint resolution of Congress, approved on 
the 11th of December, 1816. On the 8th of Novem- 
ber, 1816, the General Assembly, by a joint vote of 
both Houses, elected James Noble and Walter Taylor 



20 INDIANA METHODISM. 

to represent the State of Indiana in the Senate of the 
United States. 

Although the history of Fort Wayne and Yincennes 
date back to the time of Louis XIY, when missionaries 
and traders led small colonies far from the homes and 
comforts of civilized life, and ambitious statesmen sent 
military forces across the ocean and along our northern 
lakes; and although the Swiss have cultivated the sunny 
slopes of the Ohio, in the vicinity of Yevay, from the be- 
ginning of the century, it was not until after the close of 
the war Avith Great Britain and the suppression of Indian 
hostilities that population began to flow into the terri- 
tory of Indiana. Although the representatives of nearly 
all nations are found among us, yet a large majority of 
our people are of the sturdy English stock, which, under 
the extraordinary influences consequent upon the stirring 
events of the seventeenth century, spread along the 
Atlantic coast, from Maine to the region of the tropics. 
Our population is truly composite. Like some grand 
piece of mosaic, in which all the colors are united, to the 
obscuring of none and the enhancing of the luster of 
each, the typical Indiana man is dependent on every ele- 
ment for completeness, yet as a whole is dissimilar to any 
part. He is neither German nor Scotch, nor Irish nor 
English, but a compound of the whole. The conqueror 
of our forests and the plowman of our prairies is pos- 
sessed of a spirit of personal independence that may be 
sharpened into insolence or educated into manly self- 
respect. Quite a number of the early -public men of 
Indiana were men of high moral character, and not a few 
of them were men of decided piety; and they left their 
impress upon general society. Hugh Cull, one of the 
delegates from the County of Wayne to the Constitu- 
tional Convention, to frame the first Constitution for the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 21 

State, was a local preacher in the Methodist Church, 
lived to the extraordinary age , of one hundred and one 
years, retaining his faculties, his untarnished Christian 
character, and the esteem of all who knew him, to the 
last. He lived to see the county which he represented 
in the first Constitutional Convention of the State, be- 
come the empire county of the State, and a garden-spot 
both in physical and moral culture, and the population of 
the State increase from a few thousand to a million and 
a quarter of inhabitants. Dennis Pennington, from 
Harrison Count}^, was also an active and influential 
member of the Methodist Church. He served a number 
of years in the State Legislature under the Constitution 
which he had helped to frame, and died at a good old age, 
having served his generation faithfully and well. Ezra 
Ferris, a member of the Constitutional Convention from 
Dearborn County, was a Baptist preacher of a liberal 
spirit and great Christian influence. He resided in Law- 
renceburg till the close of his life, which occurred near 
the age of eighty years. James Scott, from Clark 
County, who was subsequently, for a number of years, 
one of the Supreme Judges of the State, was an exem- 
plary and earnest Christian, a member of the Presbyte- 
rian Church, but in hearty sympathy with all Christians. 
He also lived to a good old age. 

Such were some of the men that framed the first 
Constitution for the State of Indiana. A high responsi- 
bility is devolved upon, and rare opportunities are en- 
joyed by, the men who lay the foundations of society, 
whether civilly, socially, or ecclesiastically. Society, like 
the individual, has its educational period, during which 
it takes on those characteristics by which it is afterward 
distinguished and known. History teaches us that social 
and intellectual peculiarities are almost as transmissable 



22 INDIANA METHODISM. 

as physical traits. John Knox yet lives in the Psalm- 
singing and rugged Calvinistic theology of Scotland. 
Every country furnishes illustrations of this truth; and 
that community is highly favored whose early leaders 
possessed the requisite intellectual, social, and moral qual- 
ities. A decidedly religious impression was made upon 
the minds of a large proportion of the early settlers in 
Indiana by the preaching of the Methodist itinerants, and 
the value of their services is recognized by men of all 
parties. Our itinerant system carried the means of grace 
to the remotest settlements, gathered the people into 
societies in the country, as well as in the towns and vil- 
lages, and went far toward molding the minds and morals 
of the people. Preaching every day in the week, they 
lived among the people, sharing their privations and en- 
joying their scanty but cheerful hospitality. Under 
their labors "the wilderness and the solitary places have 
been made glad, and the desert has blossomed as the 
rose." It is fitting that the means, the processes, and 
the agencies by which Methodism has wrought out her 
work in Indiana, should be a matter of permanent 
record. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 23 



CHAPTER II. 

First Protestant Sermon preached in the Territory — First Methodist 
Society formed — Mr. Cartwright's Encounter with the Shakers — 
First Pastoral Charge in the Territory — First Methodist Meeting- 
house — Whitewater Circuit — Indiana District organized — Indiana 
District in 1809 — First Protestant Preaching at Vincennes — William 
Winans — Indiana District in 1810 — Prominent Members of the Con- 
ference — William M'Kendree — Charles Holliday — John Collins — 
Leander Blackman — John Sale — James Quinn — Solomon Langdon — 
William Burke — ^James B. Finley — ^John Strange — James Axley — 
Division of the Western Conference — Missouri Conference or- 
ganized — Introduction of Methodism into Decatur County — First 
Prayer-meeting in the County — First Class formed — Anecdote of 
Mr. Garrison — Preaching established in Greensburg — Thomas 
Rice — Salaries of the Early Preachers — Illustration — First School 
taught in the Territory — Geo. K. Hester's account of the School — 
Sketch of the introduction of Methodist Preaching into Clark 
County by Rev. Geo. K. Hester — First Traveling Preachers sent to 
the Grant — Benjamin Lakin and Ralph Lotspiech — First Society 
formed — Silver-creek Circuit organized — Camp-meeting held near 
Robertson's — Revivals — The New-lights — Memorable Revival in 
1819 — Illinois Conference held at Charlestown in 1825 — Both Bish- 
ops M'Kendree and Roberts attend and preach. 

AMONG- the first Methodist sermons ever preached 
in the territory of Indiana were those preached by 
the venerable Peter Cartwright in 1804. Some Meth- 
odist families had removed from Kentucky, and settled 
in Clark's Grant, now Clark County, north of the Ohio 
River, nearly opposite Louisville. Among them were the 
Robinsons and Prathers, who settled near the present 
town of Charlestown, the county-seat of Clark County. 
This Avas in 1803. In 1804 Benjamin Lakin and Peter 
Cartwright traveled Salt-river and Shelby Circuits in 
Kentucky, and Mr. Cartwright, in his ^^Autobiography," 



24 INDIANA METHODISM. 

says that lie and Mr. Lakin crossed over the river that 
year, and preached at Robinson's and Prather's. This 
was between two and three years before the organization 
of Silver-creek Circuit by Moses Ashworth. 

Mr. Cartwright has also the honor of organizing the 
first Methodist society in the south-western part of the 
state, at a place known in the early history of the state 
as the Busroe settlement, which, for a time, was the 
stronghold of Shakerism. We will let Mr. Cartwright 
tell the story of his encounter with the Shakers in his 
own language : 

''1 Avill here state a case Avhich occurred at an. early 
day in the state of Indiana, in a settlement called Bus- 
roe. Many of the early emigrants to that settlement 
were Methodists, Baptists, and Cumberland Presbyte- 
rians. The Shaker priests, all apostates from the Bap- 
tists and Cumberland Presbyterians, went over among 
them. Many of them I was personally acquainted with, 
and had given them letters when they removed from 
Kentucky to that new country. 

"There were then no Methodist circuit-preachers in 
that region. There was an old brother Collins, a local 
preacher, who Avithstood the Shakers, and in private 
combat was a full match for any of them; but he was 
not eloquent in public debate; and hence the Shaker 
priests overcame my old brother, and by scores swept 
members of different Churches away from their stead- 
fastness into the muddy pool of Shakerism. The few 
who remained steadfast, sent to Kentuckyfor me, pray- 
ing me to come over and help them. I sent an appoint- 
ment, with an invitation to meet any or all of the Shaker 
priests in public debate; but, instead of meeting me, they 
appointed a meeting in opposition, and warned the be- 
lievers, as they called them, to keep away from my 



INDIANA METHODISM. 25 

meeting; but, from our former acquaintance and inti- 
mate friendship, many of them came to hear me. I 
preached to a vast crowd for about three hours, and 
I verily believe God helped me. The very foundations 
of every Shaker present were shaken from under him. 
They then besought me to go to the Shaker meeting 
that night. I went; and Avhen I got there, we had a 
great crowd. I proposed to them to have a debate, and 
they dared not refuse. The terms Avere these : A local 
preacher I had with me was to open the debate, then 
one, or all of their preachers, if they chose, were to 
follow, and I was to bring up the rear. My preacher 
opened the debate by merely stating the' points of dif- 
ference. Mr. Brazelton followed, and, instead of argu- 
ment, he turned every thing into abuse and insulting 
slander. When he closed, Mr. Gill rose; but instead 
of argument, he uttered a few words of personal abuse, 
and then called all of the Shakers to meet him a few 
minutes in the yard, talk a little, and then disperse. 
Our debate was out in the open air, at the end of a 
cabin. I arose, and called them to order, and stated 
that it Avas fairly agreed by these Shaker priests that 
I should bring up the rear, or close the argument. I 
stated that it was cowardly to run ; that if I was the 
devil himself, and they were right, I could not hurt 
them. I got the most of them to take their seats and 
hear me. Mr. Gill gathered a little band, and he and 
they left. They had told the people, in the day, that 
if I continued to oppose them, God would make an ex- 
ample of me, and send fire from heaven and consume 
me. When I arose to reply, I felt a sense of the ap- 
probation of God, and that he would give me success. 
I addressed the multitude about three hours, and when 
I closed my argument, I opened the doors of the Church, 



1/ 



26 INDIANA METHODISM. 

and invited all that would renounce Shakerism to come 
and give me their hand. Forty-seven came forward, 
and then and there openly renounced the dreadful de- 
lusion. The next day I followed those that fled ; and 
the next day I went from cabin to cabin, taking the 
names of those that returned to the solid foundation of 
truth, and my number rose to eighty-seven. I then or- 
ganized them into a regular society, and the next Fall 
had a. preacher sent them; and perhaps this victory may 
be considered among the first fruits of Methodism in 
that part of the new country. This was in 1808. They 
were temporarily supplied with preaching until 1811, 
when they were regularly included in the Yincennes Cir- 
cuit, then under the care of Thomas Stillwell as preacher 
in charge." 

The first entire pastoral charge in the territory of 
Indiana was Silver-creek Circuit, in Clark's Grant, now 
Clark County, under the ministry of Rev. Moses Ash- 
worth. 

The first Methodist meeting-house in the territory 
was built in what was then, and is still, known as the 
Robertson^eighborhood, near Charlestown. Mr. Ash- 
worth was an enterprising, energetic man. Three meet- 
ing-houses were built on this circuit during the first year 
of its history, and, although they were necessarily cheap 
log-houses, they evidenced the piety and liberality of the 
people. They made provision for the public worship of 
God, as good as they were able to make for the comfort 
of their own families. Mr. Ashworth returned, at the 
end of the year, one hundred and eighty-eight members. 

Whitewater Circuit, on the eastern border of the 
state, and lying then principally in the state of Ohio — 
though that part of the circuit lying in Indiana retained 
the name — had been organized the year before under the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 27 

labors of Eev. Thomas Hellams and Rev. Selah Payne. 
What classes, if any, were organized by them in Indi- 
ana, and at what points, is not now known. The cir- 
cuit, as organized a few years later, included Brookville, 
Brownsville, Liberty, Connersville, and all of the settled 
parts of the Whitewater country, from the mouth of 
Whitewater to as far north as what is now Randolph 
County. 

In I8O85 Indiana District was organized as follows: 

INDIANA DISTRICT— SAMUEL PARKER, Presiding Elder. 

Illinois — Jesse Walker. 

Missouri — Abraham Amos. 

Merrimack — Joseph Oglesby. 

Coldivater — John Crane. 

Whitewater — Hector Sanford and Moses Crume. 

Silver-creek — Josiah Crawford. 

Here was a district extending from the western 
border of the state of Ohio to Mexico. There is some- 
thing sublime in the heroism that planned such fields of 
labor — a single presiding elder's district embracing what 
is now the three great states of Indiana, Illinois, and Mis- 
souri. The mode of travel was on horseback. The 
streams Avere unbridged, and could often be crossed only 
by swimming. The roads were mostly bridle-paths, 
"blazed," as the backwoodsmen called it, by hatchet- 
marks on the trees. The country was full of Indians, 
some of them friendly, but many of them exasperated 
by the encroachments of the white men. Salaries were 
scarcely thought of; they lived among the people, sharing 
their scanty, but cheerful hospitality, encountering perils 
in the wilderness, from floods and swamps and savage 
men, often compelled to sleep in the woods. Their meet- 
ing-houses were the rude cabins of the pioneers, where 
one room served as kitchen, bed-room, and chapel. 
.These were lion-hearted men; they "endured as seeing 



28 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Him who is invisible;" they saw that these fertile valleys 
were to be seats of empire, that populous cities would 
rise on the margin of these mighty rivers, that commerce 
would burden these navigable streams, knowing that they 
were laying the foundations of Christian civilization 
that should bless uncounted millions in after years. 
Grand as were their conceptions, the facts have out-run 
them, and the reality is already grander than their most 
sanguine imaginings. Giving them credit for great fore- 
sight, they, nevertheless, built w^iser than they knew. 
In 1809, Indiana District stood as follows : 

INDIANA DISTRICT— SAMUEL PARKER, Presiding Elder. 

Illinois — Abraham Amos. 

Missouri — Jolin Crane. 

Merrimack — David Young and Thomas Wright. 

Coldioater — Isaac Lindsey. 

Cape Girardeau — Jesse Walker. 

Vincennes — William Winans. 

Yincennes appears for the first time on the list of 
appointments. Catholic priests had previously officiated 
there, for Post St. Vincent was an early French trading- 
post, but it was now an American settlement. General 
William Henry Harrison, Governor of Indiana Territory, 
had established his head-quarters there; and William 
Winans was the first Protestant preacher to visit the 
place. One of his first services was a night appointment 
for preaching in the fort. The GoA^ernment officers, a few 
English and French settlers, and two or three Indians, 
make up the audience. A few tallow candles furnish 
all their light for the occasion. One of th^se is kindly 
held by Governor Harrison for the young preacher, while 
he reads his text and hymn. And in that dingy room 
young Winans delivers his Gospel message in such a 
manner as commends both the preacher and his message 
to the hearts of his hearers. Winans was a young man 



INDIANA METHODISM. 29 

of fine personal appearance ; not handsome, but com- 
manding in his appearance ; a little above the medium 
height, with an open countenance, a clear, strong voice, an 
easy, rather negligent manner, that showed perfect self- 
possession and self-reliance, qualities of great value to 
the frontier missionary, who has no treasury to depend 
on, and whose audiences are, for the most part, composed 
of strangers." Winans did not disappoint the expectations 
of his friends. He rose to eminence, and was for many 
years a recognized leader of the forces of Methodism in 
the state of Mississippi, into the bounds of which Con- 
ference he fell by the division of territory. 

In 1810, Indiana District is continued as follows : 

INDIANA DISTRICT— SAMUEL PARKER, Presiding Elder. 

Illinois — Daniel Fraley. 
Missouri — Thomas Wright. 
Merrimack — John M'Farland. 
Coldwaier — George A. Colbert. 
Cape Girardeau — Jesse Walker. 

Why it should have been called Indiana District, as thus 
constituted, is not apparent at the present day. The 
charges in Indiana were as follows : St. Vincent's, as it 
was then written in the Minutes, with Thomas Stilwell as 
the preacher, and included in the Cumberland District, 
Learner Blackman as presiding elder; Silver-creek, in- 
cluded in Green-river District, with Isaac Lindsey for the 
preacher, and William Burke as presiding elder; White- 
water, in Miami District, with Moses Crume for the 
preacher, and Solomon Langdon for presiding elder. The 
numbers returned for this year were as follows : Silver- 
creek, 397; Yincennes, 125; Whitewater, 638. In 1811, 
Lawrenceburg Circuit, on the eastern border of the state, 
and Patoka, on the south-western part of the state, w^ere 
added to the organized work in Indiana. Walter Griffith 



30 INDIANA METHODISM. 

traveled the former, and Benjamin Edge the latter. 
Down to this time, the Church within the bounds of the 
Western Conference had accumulated but little property 
in the way of churches, parsonages, or school-houses. In 
the Winter the log-cabins of the early settlers were the 
preaching-places, and in the Summer they worshiped 
in the grand old woods. The early settlements were 
along the rivers and creeks, as these were the natural 
highways of the country; and hence the early circuits 
derived their names from some river or creek upon which 
they were located, or to which they were contiguous; 
and not as is the present custom, from city, town, or 
post-office, for the very good reason that there were no 
cities, and very few towns and post-offices, after which 
they could have named them. The old Western Con- 
ference included in its ranks a large proportion of strong 
men — men of intellectual vigor, and mighty in the Scrip- 
tures. William M'Kendree, the enterprising and efficient 
presiding elder and prince of preachers, was elected 
bishop in 1808. He was a true champion and a recog- 
nized leader in the old Western Conference. Charles 
Holliday, than whom few men were ever more familiar 
with the Scriptures. He was, a number of years, Book 
Agent at Cincinnati. At the close of his Book Agency 
he Avas transferred to the Hlinois Conference, where he 
continued to labor until the Fall of 1846, when he took 
a superannuated relation, and in 1849 was called from 
labor to reward. The sweet-spirited, saintly, and suc- 
cessful John Collins, who won thousands- as jewels for 
his Master. Learner Blackman, John Sale, James 
Quinn, and Solomon Langdon were eminently fitted to 
lead on the Church from " conquering to conquest." 
William Burke was a man of decided ability and impress- 
ive manners, and for many years stood in the front rank 



INDIANA METHODISM. 31 

of Methodist preachers. In an evil hour he withdrew 
from the Church, but lived long enough to repent the 
rash deed. He now rests, with the co-lahorers of his 
early manhood, in the better land. James B. Finley, 
known as the Old Chief, survived most of his early asso- 
ciates, and, through a long life, declaimed against vice, 
and proclaimed the Gospel message, with a power and 
success equaled by few. The thrilling eloquence of 
John Strange, and the sturdy sense and occasional eccen- 
tricity of James Axley, are still themes of conversation 
among those who still remember them. The last session 
of the old Western Conference w^as held in Cincinnati, 
October, 1811. Bishops Asbury and M'Kendree were 
botlTpresent at this Conference. ^vAt the General Con- 
ference of 1812, the Western Conference was divided 
into two conferences, called Ohio and Tennessee. The 
Ohio Conference embraced the Ohio, Muskingum, Scioto, 
Miami, and Kentucky Districts. At the General Con- 
ference held in the city of Baltimore, in May, 1816, the 
Missouri Annual Conference was constituted, embracing 
Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. There were at that time, 
in Indiana, Lawrenceburg and White-river Circuits, on 
the eastern border of the state, included in Miami Dis- 
trict, Ohio Conference ; and Patoka, Vincennes, Harrison, 
Blue-river, and Silver-creek Circuits, embraced in Illi- 
nois District, Missouri Conference ; Missouri Conference 
being bounded on the east by a line running due north 
from the city of Madison. 

Methodism was introduced into Decatur County as 
follows : John Robins came to Decatur County, March 
28, 1822, and settled on Sand Creek, three and a half 
miles south of Avhere Greensburg now stands. The 
town was laid out that same Spring. There were but 
few persons then in the county. The only family then 



32 INDIANA METHODISM. 

in the limits of what is now Greensburg, was Colonel 
Hendricks, an honored citizen and a liberal-minded Pres- 
byterian. At this time there was no Church organization 
in the county. The first Methodist society, which was 
the first religious organization in the county, began 
on this wise : The few scattered Methodists, feeling 
their need of spiritual aid and the fellowship of the 
Church, resolved to see what could be done. John Rob- 
ins began to hunt for a preacher that could take them 
into his cu^cuit, and supply them with preaching. Mean- 
while he appointed prayer-meeting at his own house. 
At that first prayer-meeting there were present John 
Robins, Ruth Robins, John H. Kirkpatrick and wafe, 
and Nathaniel Robins; and shortly after, John Steward 
joined them. 

Late in the Summer of 1822, James Murray, who was 
then traveling Connors ville Circuit, which was included 
in the Ohio Conference, sent an appointment to Greens- 
burg, to the cabin of Colonel Hendricks, to preach. He 
came ; and here he was met by John Robins, who so- 
licited him to make an appointment at his house. Mr. 
Murray made a conditional promise. He would come 
if he could. In a short time after this, Mr. Robins 
received a class-paper, made out in due form by Mr. 
Murray, and forwarded to him, not by mail — for such a 
luxury was then unknown by the early settlers — but 
conveyed by friends from one neighborhood to another. 
With that paper was the request that he would open the 
doors of the Church, and receive such as were Avilling 
to join in with them to form a class. Mr. Robins pro- 
posed, if enough joined to justify it, that he would 
report the society to the next session of the Missouri 
Conference. When Mr. Robins presented the question 
of the organization of a class, seven persons gave their 



INDIANA METHODISM. 33 

names, to wit : Abram L. Anderson, Nancy Anderson, 
Jacob Stewart, Elizabeth Garrison, Nathaniel Robins, 
John Kobins, and Ruth Robins. These formed the first 
Methodist class and the first religious organization in 
Decatur County. Mr. Robins reported the organization 
of the class to Mr. Murray, and the class was reported in 
due time to the Missouri Conference. In the Fall of 
1823, Aaron Wood was appointed to Connersville Circuit, 
and, as he was surveying his new field of labor, he met 
with Mr. Robins, and an arrangement was effected for a 
regular appointment at his house; but Wood had hardly 
got possession of this new society, when Jesse Ilaile, of 
Indianapolis Circuit, Missouri Conference, appeared, with 
John Robins's house on the plan of his circuit. The 
east line of the Missouri Conference being a line due 
north from the city of Madison, Greensburg was found 
to be in the Missouri Conference, and Mr. Wood had to 
vacate. From Mr. Wood's first sermon at Mr. Robins's 
house, it became a regular preaching-place, and, although 
nearly half a century has passed by, the results are yet 
visible : " The handful of corn on the top of the mount- 
ain shakes like Lebanon." A good Church and a flourish- 
ing Sabbath-school still mark that country appointment, 
while two flourishing Churches exist in the town of 
Greensburg. Rev. George Horn was the colleague of 
Mr. Ilaile, and they received for their support during 
the year the sum of $27. 

In the year 1822, there moved into Mr. Robins's 
neighborhood a man by the name of Garrison, an old 
local preacher in the United By^ethren Church; and, being 
zealous for his own denomination, the contest Avould at 
times wax Avarm between him and his Methodist neigh- 
bors. Ehzabeth Garrison, one of the old man's daugh- 
ters, joined the Methodists, and was one of the original 

3 



34 INDIANA METHODISM. 

seven of whom the first class was composed; and, not 
long after, a married daughter of the old gentleman 
jomed, and, a short time after that, his wife also joined. 
That put an end to the old man's opposition to Meth- 
odism; and, in a short time, he himself united with the 
society. Soon after his union with the Church, the old 
man applied for license as a local preacher; but Mr. 
Haile, who was in charge of the circuit, learning that the 
old gentleman was not entirely sound on "Doctrine and 
Discipline," arranged to have an interview with him on 
his next round; and, accordingly, at his next appoint- 
ment, after dinner, he entered into conversation with 
him. Finding him unsound on many points, as he 
judged, he labored with him until late in the afternoon; 
but failing in his efforts to convince him of his errors, 
Mr. Garrison was not licensed. The interview ended, 
Mr. Haile started for his next appointment, which was 
twelve miles distant, and his way lay through a dense 
wood, with only a few marks on the trees to guide him. 
He missed his way, and paid for his devotion to Meth- 
odist " Doctrine and Discipline " by spending a night in 
the dense and chilly forest. 

In 1803, Haile and Horn established regular preach- 
ing in Greensburg, in the house of Colonel Hendricks, 
which then stood on the south-east corner of the public 
square, where the "Moss House" now stands. In the 
Fall of that year, Haile and Horn were followed by 
Thomas Rice, under whose labors the work greatly 
prospered. 

Mr. Rice was somewhat eccentric, and, like many 
of the early preachers, had marked individuality of char- 
acter. While on the Sangamon Circuit, as his custom 
was, he directed his heaviest artillery against slavery, 
whisky, tobacco, and worldly fashions. While holding 



INDIANA METHODISM. 35 

a meeting at one of his appointments, a brother got very 
happy, and began to shout, and, in his evolutions, Mr. 
Rice spied a plug of tobacco in the happy brother's 
pocket, and he called out immediately, "Don't shout 
any more, brother, until you get that tobacco out of your 
pocket." The rebuke was a damper on the services for 
that hour. Rice came from the Hols ton Conference. 
At the conference in Charleston, in 1825, when Mr. 
Rice's case was under consideration, John Strange, who 
was his presiding elder, made some allusion to his eccen- 
tricities, which Bishop Roberts feared might damage 
him before the conference^ and he arose to make some 
remarks in Rice's favor. He said : " True, brother Rice 
is an eccentric man. While we were passing through 
Tennessee, in company, when at family worship, brother 
Rice would pray, ' Lord ! bless this household ; bless 
the parents and the children, and the poor negroes too. 
Help this master and mistress to be good and kind to 
their slaves, not to whip, beat, or starve them. Help 
them, that they may see the great sin of slavery, and 
that they may let the oppressed go free.' " At the con- 
clusion of the bishop's remarks, William Cravens, who 
had been listening intently, and who hated human 
slavery as but few men could, cried: "I'll vote for him, 
my honeys ! He prays at them ; he prays at them." 
Of course Rice's case passed the conference all right. 
Rice was followed by Stephen R. Beggs, and he by 
James Havens. The work was then divided, and Greens- 
burg was placed in Rushville Circuit. Havens was fol- 
lowed by Joseph Tarkington and William Evans. The 
.circuit then embraced thirty-four appointments, which 
had to be filled every twenty-eight days. Tarkington 
and Evans received each, for their year's labor, the sum 
of $63. But the preachers were relatively as well 



36 INDIANA METHODISM. 

supported then as now, and it required more effort for 
the people to raise the pittance then paid than it does 
the salaries of the present day. 

Take the following as an illustration : A brother of 
small means, now residing in Greensburg, pays annually, 
for the support of the Gospel, the sum of $20. In an 
early day, he had a small tract of land near the town, 
with four acres cleared. His quarterage was one dollar 

a year. The conference year rolled on, and brother 

had no money. A good brother in town proposed to 
take corn-meal and sell it, and give the preacher the 

benefit of it. But brother had no corn to spare, not 

more than enough to do him until he could raise a crop. 
But the preacher was in need ; so he resolved to divide. 
He shelled two bushels of corn, took it to mill, and had 
it ground, took the meal to Greensburg, turned it over 
to Silas Stewart for twenty-five cents a bushel, and got 
credit for half his quarterage. Those were the days of 
moral heroism and self-denial, both on the part of 
preachers and people. 

Tarkington and Evans were followed by Amos 
Sparks and John C. Smith. 

The first school of any kind held in the territory of 
Indiana was taught one-and-a-half miles south of Charles- 
town, the present county-seat of Clark County, in 1803. 
Rev. George K. Hester, who was a pupil in this school 
in 1804, says : " Our first books were generally very far 
from facilitating an education, or affording materials for 
the mental culture of youth. My first two reading- 
books were ' Gulliver's Travels,' and a ' Dream Book.' 
We had to commence the first rudiments of language 
in ' Dilworth's Spelling-Book.' The rigid discipline ex- 
ercised, the cruelty practiced on delinquent scholars, 
as well as the long confinement of children to their 



INDIANA METHODISM. 37 

books, from soon after sunrise to sunset, with only 
vacation at noon, was detrimental to their advancement 
in learning." 

Rev. George K. Hester, who is undoubtedly the best 
living authority on the subject, says : " The first intro- 
duction of Methodist preaching into the Grant — as Clark 
County w^as then called — from the most reliable sources, 
was by Rev. Samuel Parker, and Edward Talbott, in the 
Spring of 1801. They attended a two-days' meeting, 
in a village called Springville, which had just been laid 
out, and was situated about one-and-a-half miles west 
of the present town of Charlestown. Parker and Tal- 
bott were then both of them local preachers. Benjamin 
Lakin and Ralph Lotspeich were the first traveling 
preachers that were sent into the Grant. They came 
in 1803. Lakin first visited Gazaway's neighborhood, 
five miles east of Charlestown, and preached in the 
woods, as early in the Spring as the weather would 
permit. He then proposed to take them and Father 
Robertson's, which was five miles north of Charlestown, 
into his regular work. To these, at first, he devoted 
but one day in each round, preaching alternately at 
each place. These appointments were included in Salt- 
river Circuit, Kentucky. It is believed that the first 
society formed in the state was organized at Father 
Robertson's. It has been supposed that the first society 
was formed at Gazaway's, but Hezekiah Robertson dis- 
tinctly recollects that the first society Avas organized at 
his father's. And old sister Gazaway has often been 
heard to say to persons, when excusing themselves for 
their neglect in attending class-meetings, on account of 
the distance, that she had uniformly gone to Nathan 
Robertson's to class-meeting every two weeks, a dis- 
tance of four miles, which makes it evident that the 



38 INDIANA METHODISM. 

first class was organized there. This must have been 
in the Spring of 1803. Then came M'Guire and Sul- 
livan. In 1805, Peter Cartwright preached in the Grant, 
and, in the Fall of 1805, Asa Shinn and Moses Ash- 
worth preached there. In 1806, Joseph Oglesby and 
Frederick Hood also preached in the Grant. And in 
1807, the work on this side of the river was organized 
into Silver-creek Circuit, with Moses Ashworth for their 
preacher. Moses Ashworth closed his year with a 
camp-meeting, which was held in the neighborhood of 
Father Hobertson's. Rev. William Burke was the pre- 
siding elder. This was a novel affair in our new country, 
and called together a vast multitude of human beings." 
No special revivals of religion are noted until 1810, 
when many were converted and brought into the 
Church, and preaching was established in the town of 
Charlestown. These infant societies were not free from 
trouble. Most of the population came from Kentucky. 
Arianism, as taught by Marshall and Stone, and as held 
by the New-lights, as they were called, was advocated 
strenuously. Their chief attacks, so far as Methodism 
was concerned, were against the Divinity of Christ and 
the Discipline of the Church. They opposed all articles 
of faith and rules for Church government. The New- 
light meetings attracted a good deal of attention, because 
of the prevalence of a peculiar exercise, which attended 
many of their meetings, known as "the jerks." 

In 1819, a memorable revival of religion prevailed 
in this part of the country. It began at -a camp-meeting 
held on what was known as Jacob's camp-ground. The 
good work continued long after the close of the camp- 
meeting, and extended to every neighborhood within the 
bounds of the old Silver-creek Circuit. 

Bishop M'Kendree and Bishop Roberts both attended 



INDIANA METHODISM. 39 

the session of the Illinois Conference at Charlestown, 
Indiana, in 1825. Bishop M'Kendree arrived at the 
seat of the Conference a few days before the opening of 
the session, and visited a few of the adjoining neigh- 
borhoods, and preached to the people. He preached 
twice during the session of the Conference, much to the 
edification and delight of both preachers and people. 
Bishop Roberts also preached twice during the session 
of the Conference. He preached on Saturday, at 11 
A. M., and on Sabbath afternoon. Dr. Martin Ruter 
preached on Sabbath morning. Bishop Roberts's ser- 
mon on Sabbath afternoon was one of remarkable power, 
founded on the text, "Yea, doubtless, and I count all 
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge 
of Christ Jesus my Lord." 



40 INDIANA METHODISM. 



CHAPTER III. 

Allen Wiley and C. W. Ruter admitted on Trial in the Ohio Confer- 
ence — Friendship of Wiley and Bigelow — Incidents — First Camp- 
meeting held in Indiana — Incidents of the Meeting — First Camp- 
meeting held near Madison — Allen Wiley preaches — Results of the 
Meeting — Camp-meeting near Cochran — Impressive Closing Serv- 
ices — Remarks on Camp-meetings — Charges in Indiana in 1818 — 
John Schrader's account of his early Labors — Appointed to Silver- 
creek Circuit — Administers the Sacrament for the first time in New 
Albany — Appointed to Spring-river Circuit, Arkansas Territory- 
Preaching under Difficulties — Appointed to Corydon Circuit, Indi- 
ana — Organization of the Missouri Conference — Appointed to Mis- 
souri Circuit — First Camp-meeting at Boone's Lick — Heroism of the 
Early Preachers — Early Jesuit Missionaries — Romanism and Prot- 
estantism contrasted — Number of Methodists in Indiana in 1810 — 
Number in 1820 — Charges in Indiana — Memoir of Samuel Parker — 
James Havens admitted on Trial — William Cravens received in the 
Missouri Conference — His hatred of Slavery — An Incident — Re- 
marks on the Labors of Havens and Cravens — Appointments in 
Indiana in 1821 — Cravens appointed to Indianai^olis — Connersville 
Circuit organized — Extract from the Journal of the Quarterly Con- 
ference for Connersville Circuit in 1822 — Appointments in Indi- 
ana in 1823 — Dr. A. Wood's account of his Journey to his new 
Circuit — Account of his Year's Work — Division of the Missouri 
Conference — Appointments in Indiana in 1824 — Appointments on 
Madison Circuit. 

AT the session of the Ohio Conference, in Zanesville, 
September, 1817, Rev. Allen Wiley and Rev. C. W. 
Enter were received on trial in the traveling connection. 
Ruter was appointed as junior preacher on Steubenville 
Circuit, under James B. Finley as presiding elder, and 
Wiley was apointed as junior preacher on LaAvrenceburg 
Circuit, with Samuel West in charge. Wiley and Ruter 
will hereafter figure largely in the history of Indiana 
Methodism. Wiley had traveled a part of the preceding 



INDIANA METHODISM. 41 

year on Lawrenceburg Circuit, under the direction of the 
presiding elder, with Russel Bigelow in charge. He had 
yielded to the importunity of Bigelow to travel three 
months; but instead of terminating with three months, it 
became the business of a long life. Bigelow and Wiley 
were united in the bonds of friendship as closely as 
David and Jonathan. There w^ere several incidents con- 
nected Avith Wiley's first year on Lawrenceburg Circuit 
with Mr. Bigelow, that are worth relating. Although 
their circuit extended from the vicinity of Brookville 
down to Madison, on the Ohio River, they materially 
enlarged its bounds during the year, and added a num- 
ber of new appointments. In several of the societies 
there were glorious revivals of religion during the year. 
Wiley's own house was made a preaching-place, and al- 
though, a few months previous, there was not a dwelling 
within two miles of his, yet such was the emigration, 
and such the work of God among the new-comers, that 
during the year a society of forty members w^as raised up. 
One night, when there w^as an appointment for Bigelow 
to preach at Wiley's house, a crowd collected, and dur- 
ing the first prayer the power of God was manifested 
among the people, and many began to cry for mercy. 
So great was their distress that preaching was dispensed 
with, and penitents Avere at once invited to the mourn- 
ers'-bench ; and great was the work of the Lord among 
the people. During this year there was a glorious re- 
vival of religion at Allensville, a small village in the 
northern part of Switzerland County. One day Wiley 
was preaching in Allensville from the words, "The eyes 
of the Lord are over the righteous." In the exposition 
of the text, he remarked that when the Scriptures as- 
cribed eyes and hands and other bodily parts to the 
Deity, they were not to be understood literally, but as 



42 INDIANA METHODISM. 

expressive of attributes and operations of the Deity. 
There was present a lady who had been a confirmed Deist 
for a number of years. She had supposed that Chris- 
tians believed all such expressions were to be understood 
as physically descriptive of God, and she always regarded 
with contempt such a petty and local God as these ex- 
pressions seemed to intimate the God of the Bible to be. 
She Avas led to think more seriously about the Bible and 
its doctrines than she had formerly done. Not long 
after hearing this sermon, she was riding alone through 
the woods, when a limb fell from a tree and came near 
striking her, and in her fright she exclaimed, "Lord 
Jesus!" This alarmed her the more, to think that she 
should invoke a name for which she felt no respect. 
This incident fastened conviction upon her mind. Not 
long afterward she went to hear Mr. Bigelow preach. 
She became powerfully convicted, and was soon after- 
ward happily converted to God; and her conversion was 
followed by a powerful revival of religion all over the 
neighborhood. There had settled in the vicinity of 
Buchanan Station, a post about midway between Mad- 
ison and Versailles, a man by the name of John Bichey, 
who had been a local preacher in Kentucky, but who 
had got out of the Church, and was a miserable back- 
slider. One day he came to hear Wiley preach, and he 
was so deeply impressed that he remained after the ser- 
mon, to converse with the preacher about his condition. 
He stated that he had not heard a traveling preacher for 
some years, and that he had not read a chapter in the 
Bible for three years, that it tortured him beyond endur- 
ance to read the Bible. Two weeks after, when Bigelow 
came around, he united with the Church, and in a short 
time was reclaimed, and was. made a class-leader, then 
an exhorter, and afterward a local preacher. And he be- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 43 

came one of the most useful and popular local preachers 
in all the land. 

A new society was formed during this year, about 
nine miles south-west from Brookville, and another on the 
dividing ridge between South Hogan and Laughery, near 
where Mount Tabor meeting-house now stands. During 
this year there were two glorious camp-meetings held 
within the bounds of Lawrenceburg Circuit. One had 
been held the year previous, about ^ye miles above Har- 
rison, on Whitewater, near what is known as the Lower 
Narrows. This meeting was under the superintendence 
of Hezekiah Shaw. This was the first camp-meeting ever 
held in Indiana. Mr. Shaw Avas very anxious to secure 
good order during the meeting, but was not the most judi- 
cious in the use of the means he employed. He posted at 
the different cross-roads, and other public places through- 
out the neighborhood, written notices, threatening the 
public with three dollars' fine, to be assessed by a magis- 
trate in the neighborhood, for Sunday breaches of order. 
There was, however, no disturbance; but a witty fellow, 
by the name of Breckenridge, paraphrased Shaw's posters 
in a kind of doggerel poetry, every stanza ending with 
"three dollars' fine." This furnished a great deal of 
sport among the idlers around the encampment. During 
this meeting an intelligent gentleman, by the name of 
Merwin, whose education had been in another Church, 
w^as struck under deep conviction, while listening to a 
sermon from William Houston, w^ho was that year trav- 
eling the Cincinnati Circuit. He went home that evening 
greatly excited on the subject of religion. His soul's 
salvation had become the absorbing subject of his med- 
itations. He retired to bed with a heavy heart, mourn- 
ing his sins and imploring , the Divine mercy. While in 
this state of mind, all at once light broke into his mind 



(^ 



L^ 



44 INDIANA METHODISM. 

and love flowed through his heart, and he felt as though 
he was in a new world. "With him all things had be- 
come new, he shouted aloud, and spent most of the night 
in praising the Savior. 

In 1817 there were two camp-meetings held on the 
Lawrenceburg Circuit, which that year enjoyed the 
labors of Russel Bigelow, aided by Allen Wiley. The 
first of these was on the bank of Crooked Creek, within 
the limits of the present city of Madison. Down to 
Saturday morning the meeting dragged heavily. The 
appointment for eleven o'clock, on Saturday, had been 
reserved for Thomas Helium, one of the preachers from 
Whitewater Circuit, Avho was expected at the meeting. 
Just before the hour of meeting, as Mr. Helium had not 
arrived, Bigelow said to Wiley: "You will have to 
preach." Up to this time Wiley had preached more 
from a conviction of duty than from any love of preach- 
ing. But on that morning he remarked that he felt, 
for the first time, a desire to preach. And Avhen told 
that he must preach at that hour, the intelligence was 
welcome. He requested Bigelow to tell him w^here the 
following passage could be found : " The wdcked is 
driven away in his wickedness ; but the righteous hath 
hope in his death." Bigelow named the chapter and 
verse, and W^iley immediately commenced the service 
of the hour. As he advanced, God filled his mind with 
ideas, and his heart Avith zeal, and he preached with 
great success. At the close of the sermon twelve or 
fifteen came forward for prayers ; and the 3vork of con- 
version commenced, and continued to the close of the 
meeting. Bigelow preached the closing sermon on Mon- 
day, which was one of decided ability, and was attended 
with displays of Divine power. The results of the meet- 
ing were truly glorious. Many substantial citizens. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 45 

who lived for years as ornaments of piety, and earnest 
workers for the Lord, were added to the Church. The 
revival did not close with the camp-meeting, but con- 
tinued with unabated interest for some time. The local 
preachers in the vicinity kept up the meetings in the 
absence of the traveling preachers, and the work went 
gloriously forward, and many were converted at their 
houses, as well as at the place of meeting. 

The other camp-meeting was held '^ear the bank 
of South Hogan, nearly opposite the village of Cochran, 
and at the foot of the hill, on the left of the road lead- 
ing from Aurora to Wilmington, on the land of Mr. Mil- 
burn. At this meeting Bigelow closed his official labors 
on Lawrenceburg Circuit. There were, perhaps, as manj^ 
conversions at this camp-meeting as there had been 
during the progress of the Madison camp-meeting; but 
its influence was not as extensive, nor its permanent 
fruits as great. The meeting closed on Monday, in a 
very solemn and impressive manner. Bigelow formed 
the congregation into a company, like soldiers, in double 
file, and marched around the encampment, singing ap- 
propriate farewell hymns. After which the preachers 
took their stand at some convenient point, and bade 
them all farewell by shaking hands with each of them, 
and getting pledges from as many as they could to meet 
them* in heaven. It was truly a heart-melting time. 
Christians had been associated together in the worship 
of God for several days on what was to them a conse- 
crated spot. It had been made holy ground by reason 
of the displays of Divine power and mercy. There they 
had prayed and rejoiced together, and many of them 
had found peace in believing ; and now they were about 
to separate, never all of them to meet again on earth. 
-Bigelow was bidding adieu to his flock, and he exhorted 



46 INDIANA METHODISM. 

them, ill toudiing strains of eloquence, to meet him in 
heaven. The results of such meetings will never be 
fully known until God shall collect his ransomed ones. 
The Lord shall count, when he righteth up the people, 
that "this man was born there;" for many shall date 
their spiritual birth-place upon that camp-ground. And 
we hold it as a good omen that camp-meetings are again 
reviving. Notwithstanding the number of commodious 
churches, both in town and country, camp-meetings will 
produce a popular effect that no other meetings will. 
They break up the current of wordly thought, and, by 
their continual daily services, make a profounder impres- 
sion than the brief services in our churches can possibly 
do. Let us perpetuate our camp-meetings, and not de- 
sert the venerable groves, 

"God's ancient sanctuaries, and adore 
Only among the crowd, and under roofs 
That our frail hands have raised." 

In 1818, the charges in Indiana were as follows : 
Whitewater, Lawrenceburg, and Madison, in the Leb- 
anon District, Ohio Conference ; and Silver-creek, Indian- 
creek, Blue-river, Harrison, Vincennes, Patoka, and 
Pigeon, in what, for that year, was called Illinois Dis- 
trict, Missouri Conference. 

As an illustration of the exposure, privations, and 
labors endured by the traveling ministry of that day, I 
insert the following, furnished me by the veteran and 
truly venerable John Schrader. He says : 

"I was removed to the Silver-creek Circuit, on the 
Ohio, embracing the country from the mouth of Blue 
River up to Madison. Rev. J. Cord had been appointed 
to this circuit by the bishop, but, his house being con- 
sumed by fire, he was compelled -to quit traveling for 
a season and return to his friends. I came to Cord's 



INDIANA METHODISM. ' 47 

appointment at Gazaway's, and found him preaching 
from, ' The Lord is my Shepherd ; I shall not want.' It 
was a good sermon, preached by a good man. After 
service, I told him that I had come to take his place. 
He appeared glad to be released-, and hastened home. 
I now entered on my work with much fear and trem- 
bling. Revivals had commenced at different points on 
the circuit under Cord's preaching, and on me rested 
the responsibility of carrying on this great work, which 
extended all over the circuit, and, during the year, 
nearly six hundred were taken into the Church on 
trial. I took into the circuit, as new preaching-places. 
New Lexington, Jeffersonville, and New Albany. Some 
seven or eight members of the Church had formed 
themselves into a class in New Albany, and called on 
me to preach for them, which I did in a tavern, occupied 
by a Mrs. RufP. In this tavern I administered the 
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, for the first time, I 
suppose, that it was ever administered in New Albany. 
"At the close of this year, by the direction of my pre- 
siding elder, I w^ent to Cincinnati to meet Bishop M'Ken- 
dree, and conduct him to the seat of the Missouri Con- 
ference, which was to be held at Bethel meeting-house, 
near the present town of Washington, the county-seat 
of Daviess County, Indiana. I was taken sick the first 
day of the Conference, but was well taken care of at the 
house of William Hawkins. My appointment for the 
ensuing year was Spring-river Circuit, Arkansas Terri- 
tory. It Avas some time before I sufficiently recovered 
from my sickness to enable me to ride; but while yet 
feeble, I started for my field of labor, which required a 
journey of five hundred miles. My circuit embraced a 
large extent of territory; it was mountainous and rocky, 
the settlements were very scattering, and it was far 



48 INDIANA METHODISM. 

between the appointments. The inhabitants were mostly 
hunters, and lived on the game they caught. They gen- 
erally brought their guns and dogs with them to meeting. 
The dogs very often differed with each other, and a 
quarrel ensued, and this ended in a general dog-fight. 
This always produced a stir in the congregation, and con- 
sumed some time before peace could be restored and 
ratified. The preacher would be interrupted in his ser- 
mon, or perhaps forget his text, and have to finish with 
an exhortation. At other times the hunters would return 
home during divine service, with venison, bear-meat, and 
dogs. But we were not easily disturbed in those days. 
We had plenty of venison, bear-meat, and wild turkeys 
to eat; but our bread was corn, and coarse at that. In 
many places we had no way of grinding our grain ex- 
cept on what was called Armstrong's mill. This was 
generally a long cedar pole, with one end made fast to 
the ground, and supported in the middle by two forks, 
with a pestle fastened to the small end; under it we 
placed a mortar, and thus we prepared our breadstuff; 
and this we frequently baked without sifting, and perhaps 
this is the reason why we did not have the dyspepsia. 
In some parts of the circuit, however, we fared well for 
the times, found warm friends, and at two or three ap- 
pointments had good revivals of religion. At the close 
of the year I traveled as far west as the Arkansas River, 
and attended a camp-meeting on its banks. We had a 
good meeting, at the close of which I started for Confer- 
ence, which sat at M'Kendree Chapel, near Cape Girar- 
deau, Missouri. My next appointment was Corydon 
Circuit, Indiana. I was much pleased with this appoint- 
ment, and felt myself at home among old friends." 

In 1816 the Missouri Conference was organized and 
held its first session at Turkey-hill Settlement, in Illinois. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 49 

The following is Father Schrader's account of the organ- 
ization of the Conference, and his first appointment 
therefrom : " Bishop M'Kendree and myself started from 
Louisville, Kentucky, for Vincennes, from whence Walker, 
Scripps, and others were to travel with us through the 
wilderness, to the Missouri Conference. After camping 
in the wilderness three nights, we arrived at the seat of 
the Conference. When the Conference was organized, 
we found that we had seven members present, and some 
few were admitted on trial. These are all now dead 
(1853), except J. Scripps and myself. The Conference 
extended over four different states. Most of the mem- 
bers of Conference were young men. We had received 
very little quarterage from our circuits and consequently 
were in tolerably straitened circumstances. Bishop 
M'Kendree gave the Conference one hundred dollars ; 
and this, added to our share of the funds, made us a 
pretty fair dividend. From this Conference we scat- 
tered over this immense territory. My appointment 
was to Missouri Circuit, embracing the settlements be- 
tween the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. I commenced 
preaching in St. Charles, in a tavern ; some of the bac- 
chanalians would leave their worship and listen to me 
awhile, and sometimes they would swear that I was 
preaching the best sermon that they had ever heard. 
We had a good revival on the Missouri, above St. Charles. 
In the Fall of this year, 1817, the presiding elder and 
myself traveled up the Missouri River as far as Boone's 
Lick, and held a camp-meeting, the first ever held in that 
part of the world. HaAdng to lodge in the woods six 
nights, going and returning, I was taken very sick, and 
had like to have died in the wilderness." 

Such energy, devotion, and toil, such cheerful self- 
denial and unostentatious moral heroism, as was dis- 



50 INDIANA METHODISM. 

played by the early Methodist preachers in the West, 
has never been equaled in the history of our country, 
except, perhaps, in the case of the early Jesuit mission- 
aries of the Romish Church. They were the first in the 
field; they came with the early French trappers, traders, 
and troops. The Jesuit missionaries were the first his- 
torians and geographers of the Great West; they not 
only visited the trading-posts and small colonies estab- 
lished by the French, but they followed the Indian to 
his hunting-ground, threaded the forests, swam rivers, 
and endured all kinds of hardships in prosecuting their 
spiritual work, and in furthering the objects of the 
French Government. The best and only authentic ac- 
count of the country, bounded on the north by the lakes, 
on the east by the Wabash, on the south by the Ohio, 
and on the west by the Mississippi, one century ago, is 
to be found in the missionary reports of these Jesuit 
Fathers. One of these reports was written by Father 
Gabriel Maust, missionary of the Company of Jesus, 
and directed to Father Germon, of the same Company, 
and dated at Kaskaskia, then an Indian village, Novem- 
ber 9, 1712. An edition of these reports was published 
in Paris in 1761; but while the influence of the Jesuit 
Fathers was doomed to decline, the influence of Method- 
ism was destined rapidly to increase. The causes which 
tended to produce these opposite results in the two sys- 
tems are apparent to the unprejudiced mind upon a mo- 
ment's reflection. There is, and has ever been, a strong 
sympathy between Romanism and monarchy, or Avith 
despotism in some form. It has never been the friend 
of free thought and personal liberty. Its central idea is 
an aggregation of power; and, hence, its affinities and 
tendencies are all to a state of absolutism. But while 
the central idea of Romanism was power, the central 



INDIANA METHODISM. 51 

idea of Methodism was salvation from sin. Methodism, 
in common with most forms of Protestantism, has its 
sympathies, tendencies, and affinities all on the side 
of republicanism, on the side of liberal institutions and 
free government, and all it asks of the State is to be let 
alone in its holy mission of saving sinners, and of build- 
ing up the spiritual kingdom of Christ in the earth. 
The pioneer founders of Methodism in the West found 
the seal of their apostleship in the multitudes that were 
converted to God through their instrumentalities. 

In 1810, the population in Indiana was 24,520, and 
Methodism numbered 755. In 1820, the population had 
increased to 147,178, and Methodism to 4,410. The 
charges in Indiana were Whitewater, Lawrenceburg, and 
Madison, on the eastern border of the state, all included 
in Miami District, Ohio Conference; and in Indiana 
District, Missouri Comerence, Charlestown, Blue-river, 
Bloomington, Yincennes, Patoka, Ohio, Mt. Sterling, and 
Corydon Circuits. The preachers were stationed as 
follows: \/^^ 

Whitewater — James Jones. 

Lawrenceburg — J. P. Durbin and James Collard. 

Madison — Allen Wiley and William Quinn. 

These charges were included in the Miami District, with 
Walter Griffith as presiding elder; Indiana District, 
Missouri Conference, with Samuel Hamilton for presiding 
elder. 

Charlestown — Calvin W. Ruter and William Cravens. 

Blue-river — John Scripps and Samuel Glaize. 

Bloomington — David Chamberlin. 

Vincennes — Job M. Baker. 

Patoka — Elias Stone. 

Ohio — John Wallace. 

Mount Sterling — George K. Hester. 

(Jorydon — John Schrader. 

The growth of Methodism was keeping even pace 
with that of the population. Every settlement and 



52 INDIANA METHODISM. 

block-house was visited by these bold itinerants, who 
did not scorn to preach in the bar-rooms of the taverns, 
in the towns, in forts, in block-houses, and in the groves, 
as well as in the cabins of the early settlers. Their 
message was to every creature, and, relying on the 
promise, "Lo, I am with you always," solitudes were 
cheerful, and " all rest was labor to a worthy end :" 

" A toil tliat grows with what it yields, 
And scatters to its own increase, 
And hears, while reaping outward fields, 
The harvest-song of inward peace." 

The arduous labors and privations of the early itin- 
erant preachers, although endured with a martyr hero- 
ism, and with a spirit of consecration to their work that 
counted it all joy to suffer for Christ, nevertheless 
brought them to early graves. Samuel Parker, who 
was the first presiding elder on Indiana District, having 
been appointed to that district in 1809, when it in- 
cluded the settled portions of Indiana, Illinois, and Mis- 
souri, closed his earthly labors, December 20, 1819. He 
was a native of New Jersey. His parents were pious, 
and occupied a respectable social position. He was con- 
verted to God in his youth. He was licensed to preach 
in 1800, at the age of twenty-six. In 1805, he became 
a member of the traveling connection, and at the end of 
four years he was admitted to elders' orders, and ap- 
pointed presiding elder on Indiana District, at that time 
one of the most difficult and laborious positions in the 
old Western Conference. It is impossible at this day 
fully to appreciate or comprehend the amount of moral 
heroism and physical endurance demanded by such a 
position at that time. He was a young minister to be 
placed in so responsible a position'; but he fully met the 
expectations of the bishops. He remained four years 



INDIANA METHODISM. 53 

on the district; when it was found necessary to divide 
the district, so rapidly had the work grown on his 
hands, and " so mightily grew the Word of God and pre- 
vailed." In 1813, he traveled Deer-creek Circuit, in the 
Ohio Conference, and his labors were greatly blessed. 
In 1814, he was appointed presiding elder of Miami Dis- 
trict, and, in 1815, presiding elder of Kentucky District, 
where he continued four years. A position of great im- 
portance in the estimation of the bishops had to be filled 
in the Mississippi Conference j and, although it was one 
that called for great sacrifices, and was beset with diffi- 
culties, and, withal, was in a very sickly climate, when 
the matter was proposed to him — for the bishops saw in 
him just the man that was needed — he said : "Here 
am I, send me; I count not my life dear, so that I may 
finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I 
have received of the Lord Jesus." He went; but fail- 
ing health and an early death disappointed the expecta- 
tions of the Church. God removes the workmen, but 
the work goes on. He is not dependent upon any class 
of instrumentalities. The early death of a useful min- 
ister is a mysterious providence; but as the standard 
bearers fall, the "Captain of our salvation" has some 
one ready to seize the standard, and bear aloft the 
banner of the Cross, and lead the hosts of Immanuel on 
to greater victories. Although many of our pioneer 
preachers died young, yet, if we measure their lives by 
events, and not years, they lived long. Their ministry 
was rich in results ; their efforts were heroic, and their 
achievements morally grand; "they rest from their 
labors, and their works do follow them." Parker's death 
was peaceful and triumphant. The Gospel he had so 
faithfully preached to others sustained him in the hour 
of, death. His funeral sermon was preached by Rev. 



54 INDIANA METHODISM. 

William Winans, a young man of great promise, whom 
Parker had induced to enter the ministry, who was once 
stationed at Yincennes, Indiana, but whose long and suc- 
cessful ministerial career was chiefly in connection with 
the Mississippi Conference. 

At the session of the Ohio Conference, held in Chil- 
licothe, August 8, 1820, James HaA^ens was admitted on 
trial. His name appears at the end of a list of thirteen, 
which list is headed by the venerable Alfred Brunson, 
who is still in the front of the battle, and doing valiant 
service in his Master's cause in Wisconsin. Havens will 
hereafter figure largely in the struggles and triumphs of 
Methodism in Indiana. Few men have entered the 
itinerant ministry under greater discouragements than 
James Havens, and few have achieved more signal suc- 
cess, all things considered. His education was so lim- 
ited that he could barely read. He had a large family 
of young children ; he was poor, and the Church could 
only promise a meager support. Havens was endowed 
with remarkable force of character. Though of medium 
size, he possessed remarkable physical strength, and his 
courage often deterred the lawless, and served as a pro- 
tection to those who wished to worship God in quiet- 
ness. His strength of will was only equaled by his 
energy in executing. Having consecrated all his powers 
to the service of God, his labors were greatly blessed. 
He not only succeeded in gathering multitudes into the 
Church, but he succeeded equally in the work of per- 
sonal culture. He made himself familiar with science 
and general literature. As a theologian, he was an able 
defender of the doctrines of Christianity, and of all that 
was peculiar in the doctrines of his own Church, and 
was better read in both medicine and law than many 
who follow those professions exclusively. 




X^ENS. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 55 

The same year, William Cravens entered the itiner- 
ancy, in connection with the Missouri Conference, and 
was appointed to Charlestown Circuit, as junior preacher, 
with Calvin W. E.uter. Cravens spent his ministry in 
Indiana. He, too, was a man of remarkable physical 
strength, and undaunted courage. A Virginian by birth, 
he Avas an uncompromising enemy of human slavery. 
He had sought a home in the North-western Territory 
that he might be free from the blight and curse of the 
peculiar institution. Mr. Cravens had been a local 
preacher for several years in Virginia, previous to his 
emigration to Indiana, and had acquired great notoriety 
from the faithful and fearless manner in which he de- 
nounced vice in all its forms. He had a special abhor- 
rence to sins of drunkenness and negro slavery. Against 
these he was accustomed to declaim Avith a directness 
and force that made the guilty quail before him, even 
on slave territory, and in the aristocratic parts of old 
Virginia. While residing in Virginia, Mr. Cravens had 
an infidel neighbor by the name of " T.," who was a 
slaveholder. Cravens had labored in vain to convert 
him, either to anti-slavery principles or to the truths 
of Christianity. At length Mr. T. was taken seriously 
ill. and it soon became apparent that he would likely 
die. The near approach to death shook his faith in his 
infidel principles, and he became deeply concerned for 
his soul's salvation; and, as his convictions increased, 
he desired some one to instruct him in the way of sal- 
vation. At length he sent a servant, with a request that 
Mr. Cravens w^ould call and see him. Judging correctly 
as to the cause of the invitation, he hastened immedi- 
ately to the home of the sick man, whom he found dan- 
gerously ill, and deeply distressed on account of his sins. 
_ "0!" said the sick man, "I am glad to see you. I 



56 INDIANA METHODISM. 

want you to pray for me, and tell me what I must do 
to be saved." 

"Ah, Mr. T., I thought it would come to this. What 
have you done with your negroes ?" 

"I have provided for them in my will," said Mr. 
T. " I have divided them among my children, as I wish 
them to remain in the family." 

"I can not pray for you," said Cravens. "God will 
never have mercy on you until you are willing to do 
justly. You will never get religion until you set your 
negroes free." 

So saying, Cravens returned home. But in a short 
time another messenger came for him. 

" Massa wants to see you immediately," was the sub- 
stance of the request. 

The sick man felt that his condition was a perilous 
one. Death was rapidly approaching, and the preacher 
in whose honesty and faithfulness he had full confidence, 
had refused to pray for him. He needed mercy, and 
yet he had failed to exercise it. The will was called 
for and altered, and the minister again sent for. On 
his arrival he said : 

"Well, Mr. T., how is it now?" 

" Mr. Cravens, I want you to pray for me, and tell 
me how I can be saved." 

"What have you done with your slaves?" said 
Cravens. 

"I have altered my will," said Mr. T., "and have 
provided for their emancipation." 

" I will pray for you now," said Cravens. " And, 
more than that, God will have mercy on you too." 

In answer to their united prayers, God did bless 
him with an assurance of pardon ,and a bright hope of 
heaven. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 57 

Christian civilization is deeply indebted to the chiv- 
alrous and indefatigable labors of such moral heroes as 
James Havens and William Cravens. They were born 
leaders ; and, having that sort of magnetism that at- 
tached others to them, they were a tower of strength 
in any cause. They were just the men to lay the foun- 
dations of Christian society in a new country; they 
were men of comprehensive views ; they occupied no 
doubtful positions, and gave no uncertain utterances on 
questions of doctrine or morals. Their style was per- 
spicuous, if not polished, and their dauntless courage, 
and cheerful self-sacrifice exerted an inspiring effect 
upon their co-laborers, especially upon their junior 
brethren. Cravens continued his denunciations of 
slavery after his arrival in Indiana ; for he found some 
here who had hired out their slaves, and had removed 
with their families to a free state, that they might 
raise their children free from the corrupting influences 
of slavery, but wdio were, nevertheless, drawing the 
wages of their slaves, and living by their unrequited 
toil. Others had sold their slaves, and, with their 
prices, had purchased homes in a free state. These he 
was accustomed to denounce as blood-stained hypocrites, 
and worse than those who retained their slaves and 
treated them kindly. He rarely preached a sermon 
without making those who made, sold, or drank intox- 
icating drinks, feel uneasy. On one of his circuits a 
brother Avas accused of " unnecessarily drinking ardent 
spirits." He w^as cited to trial, and found guilty. The 
committee was anxious to save him to the Church, 
if possible, and wished to know if he would not quit his 
habit of dram-drinking. After some reflection, he said 
he would try to quit. It was evident, however, that he 
did not feel that any particular guilt attached to his 



58 INDIANA METHODISM, 

conduct, and that the action of the Church was rather an 
interference with his personal rights; but rather than 
leave the Church, he would promise to try to quit ; and 
on that promise the committee retained him. But said 
Cravens, '' Brother, you must quit." That was more than 
the brother would promise, and Cravens carried the case 
up to the next session of the quarterly conference ; and 
the brother was required either to give up his drams or 
give up the Church. He concluded to give up the former; 
and doubtless owed his salvation from a drunkard's grave 
to the uncompromising integrity of his pastor. 

In 1821, the Ohio Conference met in Lebanon, and 
the Missouri Conference at Cape Girardeau. From the 
Ohio Conference there were sent to circuits in Indiana : 

y 

^ Whitewater — Allen Wiley and James T. Wells. 
Lawrencehurg — Henry Baker. 
Madison — James Jones and James Murray. 

And from the Missouri Conference : 

INDIANA DISTRICT— SAMUEL HAMILTON, Presiding Elder. 
Charlestown — James Armstrong, 
Flat-rock — George K. Hester. 
^ Blue-river — John Wallace and Joseph Kincaid. 

Bloomington — John Cord. 
Honey-creek — David Chamberlin. 
Vincennes — John Stewart. 
Patoka — James L. Thompson. 
Mount Sterling — Ebenezer Webster. 
Corydon — Job M. Baker. 
Indianapolis — William Cravens. 

There were but few settlements in Central Indiana 
when William Cravens came to organize Indianapolis 
circuit, in the Fall of 1821. A few families had settled 
at Indianapolis as early as 1819; but it was the policy 
of the Church to keep even pace with the tide of popu- 
lation, and Cravens was just the man for this pioneer 
work. He made an impression in favor of Methodism, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 59 

and against slavery and intemperance, that has never 
faded out. 

Indianapolis had been selected by the Commissioners 
as the seat of Government for the state in 1820, and 
emigration was beginning to set in to the new capital of 
the state. 

Connersville Circuit was organized in 1822, under 
the presiding eldership of Alexander Cummins, who was 
in charge of Miami District, and who employed John 
Havens to travel Connersville Circuit. I have before 
me a transcript copy of the Journals of the quarterly 
conferences of Connersville Circuit, from its organization, 
in 1822, down to 1843. The following extract, for 1822, 
shows the meager support received by the early pioneer 
preachers, and the efforts put forth by the people to fur- 
nish even that meager support : 

The Stewards of Connersville Circuit, Dr. 

To Cash received from Lewis's Class % 50 

To " " " Curtiss's " .' 50 

To " " " Connersville Class 2 50 

To " " " Abbott's " 1 00 

To " " " Hardy's " 87J 

To Bridle-leathers 62^ 

To Cash from Fuller's 1 25^ 

To Shoe-leather and Corn 1 75 

To Cash from Lowers's 1 25 

To 12 yards Linen from Bridges's 8 00 

To 9 " " " J. Lowers's 2 56| 

To 1 pair Shoe-soles 50 

To Cash from Roberts's 4 65 

To " " Hardy's 75 

To 2} yards Linsey 1 12^ 

To Cash from E. Abbott's 1 32 

To " " Cnrtiss's 50 

To 7 yards Linen, " 1 75 

To 1 small pair Shoes 1 00 

To 7f yards Linen from Alley's 1 93f 

To 2^ " Linsey" " 125 

To8f " " " Lewis's 3 27 

To 1 pair Socks " " 43f 

To Cash from Gregg's 2 12^ 



Total $36 12^ 



60 INDIANA METHODISM. 



Cr. 



By Cash to A. Cummins, Esq % 50 

By " " J. Havens, expenses 1 50 

By " " A. Cummins, allowance 3 75 

By " " J. Havens, " 30 37J 

$36 \1\ 

NATHAN LEWIS, Recording Steward. 
CoNNERSViLLE, April 27, 1822. 

In September, 1823, the Ohio Conference met in 
Urbana, and the following appointments were made in 
Indiana : 

Whitewater — John Everheart and Levi White. 
Lawrencehurg — W. H. Raper and John Janes. 
Madison — John F. Wright and Thomas Hewson. 
Connersville — A. Wood. 

Dr. Wood gives the following account of his journey 
to his new circuit, on the eastern border of Indiana: 
"On the 12th of September, 1823, I left my father's 
for the circuit to which I had been appointed. I met 
brother Bigelow in Springfield, and we rode on to Father 
Moses', who lived twelve miles from Dayton. Saturday, 
we started early, and rode to Dayton for breakfast, went 
on to Eaton, and after tea rode on to Centerville, where 
we arrived about midnight, sixty miles from where we 
started in the morning. Here I remained during Sun- 
day, and preached in the court-house. On Monday, the 
15th, I arrived in Connersville, which w^as a new circuit." 

During the year, Mr. Wood traveled, according to 
his diary, now before me, two thousand, two hundred and 
fifty miles, preached two hundred and eight-eight times, 
and received for his year's salary fifty -dollars. The 
preaching-places established on the circuit that year were 
as follow^s : Connersville, Hawkins's, Hinston's, Hardy's, 
Connell's, Crist's, Alley's, Lewis's, Miller's, Imley's, 
Short's, Gregg's Meeting-house, Young's, Taylor's, Grove's, 
Patterson's, Jacob Lowden's, Morris's, Newcastle, Sand- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 61 

ford's, Joseph Lower's, and Briggs's. Here was a circuit 
of twenty-one appointments, extending from Pipe Creek, 
in Franklin County, to Newcastle, the present county- 
seat of Henry County. At the close of this year Mr. 
Wood was admitted into full connection in the Ohio Con- 
ference, which met for that year in Zanesville, and was 
ordained deacon by Bishop Boberts. At the General 
Conference, in 1824, the Missouri Annual Conference 
was divided, and Illinois Conference constituted, includ- 
ing the States of Illinois and Indiana. The appoint- 
ments for that year, in Indiana, were as follows : 

MADISON DISTRICT -JOHN STRANGE, Presiding Elder. 

Madison Circuit — Allen Wiley and A. Wood. 
Lawrencehurg — James Jones and Thomas Hitt. 

Whiteioater — Peter Stevens and Nehemiah B. Griffith. 

Connersville — James Havens. 

Rushville — Thomas Rice. 

Indianapolis — John Miller. 

Flat-rock — Thomas Hewson and James Garner. 

Eel-river — John Fish. 

INDIANA DISTRICT— JAMES ARMSTRONG, Presiding Elder. 

Charlestown — James L. Thompson and Jacob Varner. 
Corydon — George K. Hester and Dennis Willey. 
Salem — Samuel Low and Richard Hargrave. 
Paoli — Edward Smith. 
Booneville — Orsenith Fisher. 
Patoka — W. H. Smith and George Randle. 
Vincennes — Edwin Ray. 
Honey-creek — Samuel Hull. 
Bloomington — Daniel Anderson and John Cord. 
Vermilion — Hackaliah Vredenburg and Robert Delap. 

As a sample of the better class of circuits in the 
older settled portions of Indiana, in that day, we give 
the appointments on Madison Circuit, which were filled 
by Allen Wiley and A. Wood : Rising Sun, Buell's Mill, 
Green's, Davis's, Spoon's, Campbell's, Vevay, Mount 
Sterling, Slawson's, Alfray's, Bellamy's, Brook's, Crooked- 



62 INDIANA METHODISM. 

creek Meeting-housej Simper's, Hyatt's, Overturf's, 
Brown's, Herkul's, Versailles, Wiley's, Allensville, Down- 
ey's, Dexter's, including all of Switzerland and Ohio 
Counties, and the larger portions of Jefferson and Ripley 
Counties. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 63 



CHAPTER ly. 

First Session of the Illinois Conference — Charges in Indiana in 1825 — 
Appointments made at the Illinois Conference for Indiana — Preach- 
ing-places in Vincennes District in 1825 — Remarks on Circuits and 
Stations — Sketch of Rev. William Beauchamp — His Eloquence — 
Incident — Second Session of the Illinois Conference in 1826 — Num- 
ber of Members returned for Indiana — Appointments made in In- 
diana — Preaching-places in Indianapolis Circuit in 1825 — Honey- 
creek Church in 1825 — Paoli Circuit in 1826 — Appointments for 
Indiana at the third Illinois Conference — Radical Controversy at 
Madison — Indiana Members reported at the Illinois Conference in 
Madison in 1828 — Extent of Madison District — Revival in Law- 
renceburg District — J. V. Watson — Indianapolis Station — Fall- 
creek — Camp-meeting at Pendleton — Incident connected with the 
Meeting — Illinois Conference at Edwardsville, Illinois, in 1829 — 
Incidents concerning John Strange — Illinois Conference at Vin- 
cennes in 1830 — Number of Members reported — Incident of Allen 
Wiley — Meeting Held in Fort Wayne. 

TLLINOIS CONFERENCE convened in session, for 
-L the first time, in Charlestown, Clark County, Indiana, 
August 25, 1825. There were present two bishops — 
M'Kendree and Roberts — and forty-four traveling preach- 
ers, gathered from the various charges in Indiana and 
Illinois. The charges in Indiana stood numerically as 
follows : 

MADISON DISTRICT. 

Madison Circuit YOO 

Madison Station 139 

/Lawrenceburg Circuit 707 

''Whitewater 942 

Connersville 412 

Rushville 268 

Indianapolis 804 

Flat-rock 642 

Eel-river 365 

Making for Madison District, members 4,481 



64 INDIANA METHODISM. 

INDIANA DISTRICT. 

Charlestown 975 

Corydon..... 648 

Salem 455 

Paoli 422 

Booneville 439 

Patoka 335 

Vincennes 532 

Honey-creek 385 

Bloomington 601 

Vermilion 200 

Total on Indiana District 4,992 

While there was but one presiding elder's district in 
Illinois, with a membership of only 3,505. Why the 
Conference was named Illinois is not apparent, any more 
than why, previous to this time, the charges included in 
Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, were named Missouri 
Conference, when a large majority of the charges were 
in Indiana, and but a small fraction of them in Missouri. 
The appointments made at the first session of the Illi- 
nois Conference, held at Charlestown, Indiana, August 
25, 1825, for the work in Indiana, were as follows : 

MADISON DISTRICT— JOHN STRANGE, Presiding Eldee. 

Madison Station — Samuel Bassett. 
Madison Circuit — George K. Hester. 
Lawrencehurg — James L. Thompson. 
Whitewater — James Havens. 
Oonnersville — N. B. Griffith. 
JRushville — Stephen R. Beggs. 
Flat-rock — James Jones and Thomas S. Hitt. 
Indianapolis — Thomas Hewson. 

CHARLESTOWN DISTRICT— JAMES ARMSTRONG, Presiding Elder. 

Charlestown Circuit — A. Wiley and G. RanHle. 
Cory don — Samuel Low and George Locke. 
Paoli — John Miller. 
Bloomjield — Eli P. Farmer. 
Craiofordsville — H. Vredenburg. 
Bloomington — Edwin Ray. 
Salem Station — William Shanks. 
Salem Circuit — John Cord. 



^J 



INDIANA METHODISM. 65 

WABASH DISTRICT-CHARLES HOLLIDAY, Presiding Elder. 

Vermilion — James Hadley. 
Honey-creek — Richard Hargrave. 
Vinceimes — A. Wood. 

Patoka — James Garner and J. Tarkington. 
Booneville — William H. Smith. 

We have given Connersville and Madison as speci- 
mens of the size of the circuits of that day in the 
eastern part of the state. Take Vincennes as a speci- 
men of the size of the circuits in the south-western part 
of the state. In 1825, Vincennes included the follow- 
ing preaching-places : In the county of Knox : Vin- 
cennes, Cane's, Thomas's, Snyder's, Terebaugh's, Nichol- 
son's, Hawkins's ; in the county of Davis : Bethel 
Meeting-house, Stuckey's, Thomas Havell's, Widow 
Stone's, T. Stafford's, Ballon's ; in the county of Mar- 
tin: Hammond's, Clark's, Mount Pleasant, Love's 
Maner's, in Green County; and back again, in Davis 
County, to Bratton's, Williams's, Osmon's, and Florer's. 

It will be seen from the appointments for this year 
that there were two stations in Indiana — Madison and 
Salem. While the circuit system is admirably adapted 
to a new country, and a sparse population, enabling a 
number of congregations to unite in one pastoral charge, 
and thereby secure, at regular intervals, the preaching 
of the Word of God and the administration of the 
sacraments of the Church, yet, as soon as any com- 
munity feel that they can support a pastor of their own, 
there is a natural and universal desire to have one ; and 
thus stations grow up in our towns and cities in answer 
to a demand from the people. In older communities a 
minister's influence depends largely upon his personal ac- 
quaintance, and not simply upon his ministerial character. 
This is especially true in cities ; and hence a growing 
desire for lengthening the term of the pastoral relations. 



66 INDIANA METHODISM. 

During the preceding year, the Church in Indiana 
had suffered the loss of one of her ablest ministers, 
Rev. William Beauchamp, Presiding Elder of Indiana 
District, Missouri Conference, which event took place 
at Paoli, Orange County, Indiana, October, 1824, in the 
fifty-third year of his age. Mr. Beauchamp was a native 
of Delaware; was converted in early life, and, in 1794, 
joined the itinerancy. His first appointments were 
Alleghany Circuit, Pittsburg, New York, and Boston. 
He located in 1811. In 1815, he removed to Chilli- 
cothe, Ohio, and took the editorial charge of the Western 
Christian Monitor — the only periodical at that time in 
our Church. He discharged his editorial duties with 
conspicuous ability. Mr. Beauchamp had previously 
published a volume of " Essays on the Truth of Chris- 
tianity," a work of considerable merit. In 1817, he 
removed to Mt. Carniel, Illinois, and superintended the 
formation of a new settlement. In 1822, he again 
entered the traveling connection, and was stationed in 
the city of St. Louis. In 1823, he was appointed pre- 
siding elder of Indiana District, which included Charles- 
town, Flat-rock, Blue-river, Bloomington, Honey-creek, 
Vincennes, Patoka, Mount Sterling, Cory don, Indian- 
apolis, and Eel-river — eleven large circuits — embracing 
one-third of the territory of the state of Indiana. He 
was the same year elected a delegate to the General 
Conference, which met in Baltimore ; and such was the 
impression made by him upon the members of that body 
that he lacked but two votes of being- elected to the 
episcopal office. Had it not been for the fact that so 
large a portion of his ministerial life had been spent 
out of the itinerancj^, his name would doubtless have 
honored the history of our epis'copacy. On his return 
to his district he was seized with an affection of the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 67 

liver, and, after suffering for about six weeks, fell asleep 
in Jesus, in the full prospect of a glorious immortality. 

Mr. Beauchamp was one of nature's noblemen, a 
man of true greatness. He was often styled the "De- 
mosthenes of the West." His manner was plain, and 
his style easy and natural. His sermons made a lasting 
impression. His standard of Christian character was 
high. Holiness was his favorite theme. When holding 
forth the promises and invitations of the Gospel, there 
was a gentleness and tenderness in his manner and in 
the tones of his voice, that was sure to touch the sym- 
pathies of his hearers ; but when he became argument- 
ative, and discussed doctrinal points, and especially 
when he denounced dangerous errors, his voice would 
become elevated, his whole system nerved, and the 
tones of his voice and the flash of his keen eye would 
startle his hearers like peals of thunder. On one occa- 
sion the force of his eloquence was fully demonstrated. 
It was on a subject of controversy. His antagonist, 
who had sat and listened for some time to his argu- 
ments, too powerful for him to answer, began to look as 
if the voice which he now heard came from another 
world through the shadow of a man. He rose, appar- 
ently with a view to leave the house; but, being over- 
come, he staggered, caught by the altar-railing, and fell 
into his seat, and there sat overwhelmed and con- 
founded until the discourse closed, when he quietly left 
the house. The death of such a minister is deeply felt; 
but God watches over his Church, and " the gates of 
hell shall not prevail against it." 

The second session of the Hlinois Conference was 
held in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, begin- 
ning September 28, 1826. There Avere returned to this 
Conference members as follows : In Madison District, 



68 INDIANA METHODISM. 

4j352 ; in Charlestown District, 4,443 ; and in those 
portions of the Wabash and Illinois Districts lying in 
Indiana, 2,045 ; making a total membership in Indiana 
of 10,840; while that portion of the Illinois Confer- 
ence lying within the state of Illinois only included a 
membership of 2,595. The appointments to the work 
in Indiana, made at this Conference, were as follows : 

MADISON DISTRICT— JOHN STRANGE, Peesiding Eldek. 

Madison Station — C. W. Ruter. 
Madison Circuit — James Scott and Daniel Newton. 
Lawrencehurg — James L. Thompson and George Randle. 
WTiiteivater — James Havens and Jolin F. Johnson. 
Connersville — Robert Burns- 
■Buslwille—^. B Griffith. 
Flat-rock — Abner H. Cheever. 
Indianapolis — Edwin Ray. 

CHARLESTOWN DISTRICT— JAMES ARMSTRONG, Presiding Eldeb. 

Charlestown — Allen Wiley and James Garner, 
Corydon — George Locke and Samuel Low. 
Paoli — W. H. Smith and Smith L. Robinson. 
Eel-river — Daniel Anderson and Stith M. OtwelL 
Crawfordsville — Henry Buell. 
Bloomington — A. Wood. 
Salem — Wm. Shanks and John Hogan. 
Washington — William Moore. 

WABASH DISTRICT— CHARLES HOLLIDAY, Presiding Elder. 

Vincennes — Stephen R. Beggs. 
Patoka — Asa D. West. 
Booneville — Thomas Davis. 
Mount Vernon — Thomas Files. 

The tide of emigration was extending northward, 
and as the Church kept even pace with the^ population the 
names of the charges indicate very clearly what portions 
of the state were being settled by Avhite men, and the 
plans of these early circuits give a clearer idea of the 
physical toil and personal hardships of the itinerancy of 
that day, than any mere verbal description, however 



INDIANA METHODISM. 69 

graphic it might be. Indianapolis Circuit, in 1825, com- 
prised the following preaching-places : In the county of 
Marion : Indianapolis, Headley's, M'Laughlin's, and La- 
master's ; in the county of Madison : Pendleton, Shet- 
terley's, and Smith's ; in Hamilton County : Danville, 
Wilson's, and Claypool's ; in Hendricks County and in the 
county of Morgan : Matlock's, Barlow's, Booker's, Martins- 
ville, Cul ton's, and Ladd's; at Hough's, in Johnson County, 
and Ray's and Rector's, in Shelby County. In 1825 
Honey-creek Circuit included the following appoint- 
ments : Carlisle, Johnson's, Robbins's, Wall's, and Wear's, 
in Sullivan County ; Jackson's, Jr., Jackson's, Sr., Ray's, 
and Barnes's, in Vigo County; and Wilkens's, Merom 
Bond's, and Graham's, in the county of Sullivan. Paoli 
Circuit, in 1826, embraced the following appointments : 
In Orange County : Paoli, Ya water's, Little Orleans, and 
De Pew's ; in the county of Lawrence : Irving's, Fingir's, 
and Sew^ell's Meeting-house ; in the county of Martin : 
Bruner's, the Widow Shelmyer's, M'Gaw's, Nellam's, Fa- 
ther Hall's, and at Hall's, Jr. ; Brider's and Springer's, in 
Perry County ; and in the county of Crawford : Leaton's, 
Fredonia, Leavenworth, M'Grew's, Sherwood's, and Ri- 
ley's. The roads were merely bridle-paths, the streams 
were unbridged and without ferries, meetings Avere mostly 
in private houses. School-houses and churches were 
few and far between. 

The third session of the Illinois Conference was held 
at Mt. Carmel, Illinois, September 20, 1827. At this 
Conference, the appointments for the work in Indiana 
were as follows : 

MADISON DISTRICT— JOHN STRANGE, Presiding Eldeb. 
Madison Station — Edwin Ray. 

Madison Circuit — James Garner and Abner H. Cheever. 
Lawrencehurg Circuit — Allen Wiley and D. Newton, 
Lawrencehurg Station — James L. Thompson. 



70 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Whitewater Circuit — Thomas S. Hitt and James Scott. 

Wayne — S. K Beggs and William Evans. 

Connersville — Robert Burns. 

Rushville — James Havens. 

Columbus — C- B. Jones. 

Indianapolis — N. B. Griffith. 

Vernon — Henry Buell. 

CHARLESTOWN DISTRICT— JAMES ARMSTRONG, Presiding Elder. 

Charlestown Circuit — G. Locke, C. "W. Ruter, Supernum., and E. G. Wood. 

Corydon — J. W. M'Reynolds and S. Low, Supernumerary. 

Paoli — William Moore and James M'Kean. 

Eel-river — William H. Smith and Benjamin Stevenson. 

Q-aivfordsville — Eli P. Farmer. 

Bloomington — Daniel Anderson and S. M. Otwell. 

Salem — William Shanks and John Hardy. 

Washington — Thomas Davis. 

WABASH DISTRICT— CHARLES HOLLIDAY, Peesiding Eldek. 

Vermilion — John Fox. 

Vincennes — J. Miller and Asahel Risley. 

Patoki — Charles Slocum. 

Booneville — William Mavity. 

Mount Vernon — Thomas Files, 

Edwin Ray found the Church in Madison greatly ex- 
cited over what was known as the Radical Controversy. 
Ray did what he could to reclaim the disaffected brethren, 
and to disabuse the public mind by publicly vindicating 
the economy of the Church ; but his efforts apparently 
hastened the crisis. During the year quite a number 
withdrew, and organized a separate Church. They built 
a respectable house of worship on Third Street, and 
flourished for some years ; and their Church, at one time, 
numbered some three hundred ; but they soon began to 
decline, and the greater part returned to the old Church 
again, and appeared satisfied that, while there might be 
a difference of opinion as to the rights and powers of 
bishops and presiding elders, that difference of opinion 
did not justify schism in the Church. In 1828, the Illi- 
nois Conference met in Madison, Indiana, Bishop Roberts 
presiding. The members reported in that part of the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 71 

work lying in Indiana were : Madison District, 5419 ; 
Charlestown District, 6700 ; and in that part of Wabash 
District lying in Indiana, 3974. Madison District began 
at Madison, on the Ohio River, and extended north of 
Randolph County, and thence west to White River, and 
down White River, including Andersontown, Nobles ville, 
Indianapolis, and Martinsville ; from thence south-east 
to the east fork of White River, called Driftwood, some 
distance below Columbus, in Bartholomew County, and 
from thence to Madison, embracing all of the interme- 
diate country, except a narrow strip of country extending 
from Paris to Versailles, called Vernon Circuit, which 
was included in Charlestown District. Extensive revi- 
vals prevailed throughout most of the Conference. Law- 
renceburg Circuit, under the labors of N. B. Griffith and 
E. G. Wood, was in a blaze of revival. A number of 
young men were received into the Church, in the bounds 
of this circuit, during the year, whose names have been 
since identified with the history of the Church. Of these 
we mention J. V. Watson, subsequently of the Michigan 
Conference, sometime editor of the North-western Chris- 
tian Advocate, and author of several good books ; a re- 
markably gifted preacher, and although a great sufferer 
from asthma, and for several years a confirmed invalid, 
yet such was his strength of will that he accomplished 
more than most robust men would have thought possible 
for them to have done ; he was a man of brilliant im- 
agination, had a remarkable command of language, and 
while he was naturally a true genius, he depended on 
the genius of hard work for success, — Edward Oldham, 
who labored for some years as a fiiithful and effi- 
cient minister in the Indiana Conference, and F. C. Hal- 
liday. Indianapolis appears on the list of appointments, 
for the first time, as a station, and James Armstrong was 



i A INDIANA METHODISM. 

pastor. Wisely and well did he lay the foundations of 
Methodism in the capital of the state. Fall-creek ap- 
pears for the first time on the list of appointments, with 
Charles Bonner as the preacher. During the year there 
was a glorious camp-meeting held in the Adcinity of Pen- 
dleton, within the bounds of Bonner's circuit, at which 
fifty souls were converted to God and added to the 
Church. The following incident, in connection with this 
meeting, is from the pen of Wiley : " A part of the ses- 
sion, at the middle of the day, on Sabbath, was devoted 
to the subject of Baptism, and at the close of the service 
some forty or fifty adults and children were baptized. 
After the public baptism was over, the elder was informed 
that there was a poor, afflicted man in a wagon, whose 
body was, to a considerable extent, decayed by some kind 
of abscess or ulceration; but there was yet body enough 
left to hold the soul, which could not stay much longer on 
the earth, as disease was rapidly encroaching on the vital 
parts of the system. This poor Lazarus, with all his 
stench of disease, heard the sermon, and felt its force, 
and was desirous to be baptized before he died; and his 
wish was met in the wagon. His meek, penitent, weep- 
ing countenance is still fresh in my memory. If baptism 
were confined to immersion alone, this poor man must 
have died unbaptized ; for I suppose the most zealous im- 
mersionist in the world Avould not have attempted to put 
the fragments of his decaying body under the Avater. To 
my mind this fact is a most powerful argument against 
the absolute necessity of immersion to constitute valid 
baptism ; for if that be the case, this penitent believer 
must have died unsealed Avith God's sign of the Christian 
covenant ; but if pouring or sprinkling be valid baptism, 
while the head and heart are alive, and reason and feel- 
ing continue, the penitent may be baptized. This poor 



INDIANA METHODISM. 73 

man felt that it was valid, and in a few days left the 
remains of a loathsome carcass, and went to rest." 

In September, 1829, Illinois Conference met in Ed- 
wardsville, Madison County, Illinois ; Bishop Soule pre- 
siding. The following charges appear for the first time 
in the list of appointments : Washington, in Wabash 
District; Franklin and Vernon, in Madison District; and 
Logan sport Mission, which was included in Charles town 
District; Stephen II. Beggs, missionary, and John 
Strange, Presiding Elder. 

How a man could make four rounds in a year, on a 
district extending from Charlestown, on the Ohio River, 
to Logansport, on horseback, without improved roads, 
with few ferries, and no bridges across the streams, is 
marvelous. But Strange was a man of one wojk, and, 
although of a delicate constitution, he was lion-hearted. 
He had threaded his way through the forests in Eastern 
Indiana, from one settlement to another, and from one 
block-house to another, carrying a trusty rifle to protect 
himself from the Indians, that he might preach the 
Gospel, and carry the consolations of religion to the first 
pioneers of civilization. Such heroism greatly endeared 
him to the people, and his visits to the block-houses and 
forts were hailed with delight. He had a remarkable 
trust in Divine providence. When on a visit to some 
of his old friends in Lawrenceburg, in 1816, he had a 
severe attack of fever. Toward the close of his sick- 
ness, the horses which he and Mrs. Strange rode got out 
of the stable and strayed off. The family Avith whom 
he stayed, and other friends, having made an unsuccess- 
ful search for the horses, seemed quite uneasy about 
them. Strange said to them, in a mild, chiding way: 
"Why are you so uneasy about the horses? All the 
horses in the world belong to the Lord, and he will give 



74 INDIANA METHODISM. 

me just as many as I need." At another time his horse 
strayed away from him at Cincinnati; but he seemed 
perfectly unconcerned, and borrowed another to go to 
his appointments. Some one said to him, "Brother 
Strange, are you going without your horse?" He re- 
plied, "There are hundreds of persons here who can 
hunt a horse as well as I can, who can not preach one 
word, and I shall go to my work." But the toil and 
exposure necessarily connected with traveling a district 
extending from the Ohio River to Logansport, told 
rapidly on his constitution. Allen Wiley was presiding 
elder on Madison District, and George Locke on Wabash 
District. 

In September, 1830, Illinois Conference met in Vin- 
cennes. . Bishop Roberts was to have presided ; but he 
was detained at St. Louis by sickness, and Samuel H. 
Thompson was chosen to preside. Bishop Roberts did 
not reach the seat of the Conference until after its 
adjournment. Members reported at this Conference, 
15,205. At this Conference, Indianapolis District was 
organized, with James Armstrong presiding elder. The 
district embraced Indianapolis, Franklin, Fall-creek, 
White-lick, Greencastle, Rockville, Crawfordsville, and 
Logansport. Seventeen young men were admitted on 
trial; one of whom was E. R. Ames, now one of the 
honored bishops of the Church. This year Fort Wayne 
Mission was organized, and N. B. Griffith was the mis- 
sionary. Fort Wayne Mission was in Madison District, 
of which A. Wiley was presiding elder. 

The next session of the Conference was held in 
Indianapolis, October 4, 1831. At this Conference, 
Crawfordsville District was organized, and James Arm- 
strong was the presiding elder. The work in Indiana 
was included in the Madison, Charlestown, Indianapolis, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 75 

Crawfordsville, and Wabash Districts. The Church had 
extended northward as far as St. Joseph County. In 
1830; Erastus Felton, who had been sent by the Ohio 
Conference to St. Joseph Mission, had formed some 
societies ^in the north part of Indiana. In 1831, N. B. 
Griffith was sent to South Bend Mission. He organized 
a society in South Bend, of which Samuel Martin was 
the leader. But the only charges lying in the north 
part of the state were Greencastle, Crawfordsville, La- 
fayette, Pine-creek, Bockville, Logansport, South Bend, 
and Fort Wayne. 

In 1832, Illinois Conference was divided, and In- 
diana constituted. Indiana Conference ' embraced the 
whole of the state of Indiana, except a small strip in- 
cluded in Illinois Conference ; the Wabash Riv.er being 
its western boundary, from its mouth as far up as Pine 
Creek, in Warren County. 

The first session of the Indiana Conference was held 
in New Albany. There were reported at this Confer- 
ence 19,853 white members, and 182 colored. At this 
Conference sixty preachers Avere appointed to charges, 
and four charges were left to be supplied. There were 
five presiding elders' districts, as follows : Madison, 
James Havens, Presiding Elder; Charlestown, William 
Shanks, Presiding Elder; Indianapolis, Allen Wiley, Pre- 
siding Elder; Vincennes, James L. Thompson, Presiding 
Elder. Missionary District, James Armstrong, Super- 
intendent. Th^e Mission District included the following 
charges and ministers : 

MISSIONARY DISTRICT— JAMES ARMSTRONG, Presiding Elder. 

Upper Wabash Mission — Samuel C. Cooper. 

St. Joseph and South Bend Mission — R. S. Robinson and Q. M. Beswick 

Kalamazoo Mission — James T. Robe, 

Fort Wayne Mission — Boyd Phelps. 

Laporte Mission — James Armstrong. 



76 INDIANA METHODISM, 

In 1831j Fort Wayne was included in Madison Dis- 
trict. There was a large wilderness, uninhabited save 
by savage Indians and wild beasts, lying between the 
settlements on the Upper Whitewater and Fort Wayne, 
requiring the presiding elder each round to lie out one 
night in the woods. Wiley would take off his saddle, 
and construct a bed out of his saddle and saddle-blanket, 
tie his horse's bridle around his waist, and get what rest 
he could with the wolves howling around him. During 
one of his visits to Fort Wayne, this year, he was 
accompanied by E. S. Robinson, and during their stay 
they held a series of meetings in Masonic Hall, which 
exerted a salutary and powerful influence on the minds 
of the people. Wiley preached in the morning and 
Hobinson at night, for several days in succession; and 
it was Wiley's opinion, if the meetings had continued 
a few days longer, that nearly the whole community 
would have professed religion ; but the preachers had to 
leave to attend a camp-meeting in Wayne County. 
Wiley often remarked that he never thought of their 
leaving Fort Wayne when they did without feelings 
of regret. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 77 



CHAPTER Y. 

Retrospective View — First Settlers — First Preachers — Settlement of 
Clarke County — Quaker Settlements — Vincennes District in 1811 — 
Rangers of 1812 — New Harmony Colony — First Methodist Preach- 
ing in Vigo County — Incident — Introduction of Methodism in Harri- 
son County — Early Men of Note — Dennis Pennington — " Uncle 
Walter Pennington" — " Uncle Billy Saffer" — Edward Pennington — 
Early Methodists in New Albany — Peter Stoy, Aaron Daniels, and 
Others — First Society in Jeffersonville — Societies in Charlestown 
and Madison — Methodist Preaching in Rising Sun — First Class 
formed — Lawrenceburg Circuit organized — Mr. Bartholomew — Isaac 
Dunn — Rev. Elijah Sparks — Mrs. Amos Lane — Isaac Mills — Jacob 
Blasdell — Rev. Daniel Plummer — Rev. A. J. Cotton — Samuel Good- 
win — Rev. Augustus Jocelyn — Hugh Cull — Whitewater Circuit 
formed — Israel Abram.s — Camp-meeting near Saulsbury — Method- 
ism established at Moore's Hill — Adam Moore and Others — ^John C. 
Moore — Moore's Hill — Influence of Local Preachers — Names of 
Noted Local Preachers — ''Sketch of Early Society in Indiana," by 
Rev, A. Wood — The Missionary District in 1832 — First Camp- 
meeting in Laporte County — Introduction of Metliodism in Elk- 
hart County — Local Preachers in Connersville and Whitewater Cir- 
cuits — James Conwell and Others — An old-fashioned Quarterly- 
meeting — Dr. Benjamin Adams — John Strange — Account of his 
Labors — Letter of John Schrader — Facts in the Early History of the 
Church in Indiana — Preaching in Bar-rooms — Incident — " Charac- 
teristics of the Early Indiana Settlers," by Rev. A. Wood. 

HAVING traced the expansion of the Church from the 
first introduction of Methodism into the state until 
the organization of the Indiana Conference, it is proper to 
take a retrospective survey of the field, the condition of 
society, and notice some of the local agencies and less 
prominent instrumentalities by which the Church had 
achieved success hitherto. The seat of the Territorial 
Government, first at Vincennes, and then at Corydon, at- 
tracted settlers, at an early day, to the south-western 



78 INDIANA METHODISM. 

part of the state. Knox County was organized in 1802. 
Vincennes was the seat of the Territorial Government, as 
well as for the county. The original settlers were French ; 
but, in addition to these, at a very early day there were 
a number of families from Maryland, Virginia, and Penn- 
sylvania. The French society ranged all the way from 
the half-savage up to the polished deist and the learned 
priest. The Virginia element ranged from the fugitive 
cut-throat up to the chivalrous governor, always including 
a large adventurous element, composed of young men 
who, as yet, were sowing their wild oats. Religious serv- 
ices were conducted, from the beginning of the settle- 
ment, by the Romish priests. Joseph Oglesby and Jesse 
Walker, as missionaries from the Illinois Conference, 
preached the Gospel in the settled portions of Knox 
County, in an early day. A Presbyterian preacher from 
Kentucky, by the name of James M'Cready, settled in 
the county, and preached Avith efficiency. Clarke County 
was organized in 1801, and its first settlers were families 
from Virginia, who were of Scotch or German origin. 
The spirit of independence was carried into their relig- 
ious views, and whether they were Baptists, Presbyteri- 
ans, or Methodists, they were very nearly congregational 
or independent in their notions of Church government. 
Prelacy and apostolic succession had no place among 
them. That portion known as Clarke's Grant was settled 
by soldiers, irrespective of religious profession. The 
^ first Methodist preachers came over from Kentucky ; oc- 
casional preaching was had, as early as 1802, in what was 
known as the Robertson and Prather Settlements, and in 
1807, Silver-creek Circuit Avas organized. The Virgin- 
ians who settled in Clarke County Avere not as Avell edu- 
cated as some from the same state -Avho settled in Knox, 
but they Avere more homogeneous, and more opposed to 



INDIANA METHODISM. 79 

slavery. There were a few Quaker settlements in the 
south-west part of the state, at an early day, and they 
disseminated a strong anti-slavery sentiment ; and where 
there were isolated Quaker families, they welcomed 
Methodist preachers and Methodist preaching. There 
were no settlements formed by Methodists, as a body of 
emigrants, but occasionally a few Methodist families 
would be found contiguous to each other, v Emigrants 
from England settled in a body in the counties of Dear- 
born and Franklin. Scotch Covenanters settled in a 
body in Gibson County. The Friend Quakers settled in 
a body in Wayne, Washington, and Orange Counties. In 
1811, Yincennes Circuit embraced the country from the 
Ohio River on the south, to the farthest point of white 
population on the east side of the Wabash, north. There 
were settlements in the forks of White River, now Da- 
vies's County; at Patoka, now Gibson County; and on 
Honey Creek, in what is now Sullivan and Vigo Counties. 
The settlements were visited by Methodist preachers, at 
that early day, and there were, in all these early settle- 
ments, persons who had been converted in the great revi- 
vals in Kentucky and Tennessee, and who hailed with 
pleasure the appearance of evangelical ministers among 
them. At the commencement of the War of 1812, the 
moral and religious condition of the settlers on the Wa- 
bash was, perhaps, as good as that of any other new 
country; but there was sent into those frontier settle- 
ments a class of soldiers called "Rangers," who were sup- 
ported by Government, and lived in idleness and dissipa- 
tion. And while they afforded protection to the settlers 
from the Indians, they exposed them to many tempta- 
tions, and not unfrequently corrupted their morals. The 
leisure and the opportunities afforded by the officers of 
the army, and of the new Territorial Government, for 



80 INDIANA METHODISM. 

dissipation, exerted a pernicious influence upon the gen- 
eral population. 

From 1814 to 1820, the south-western part of the 
state settled rapidly. Frederick Happe settled his col- 
ony at New Harmony. The emigration was chiefly from 
the Southern States — South Carolina, Tennessee, and 
Kentucky, and a few from Southern Ohio. Among these 
emigrants w^ere some Methodists. These, of course, 
formed the nucleus of societies Avhen the itinerants came 
among them, and they were never far behind the front 
wave of emigration. The first Methodist preacher that 
visited the county of Vigo, was Jacob Turman, who 
preached at the cabin of John Dickson, near Rogers's 
Spring, and organized a class, consisting of Dickson and 
wife, J. Lambert and wife, and William Winters; the last- 
named being the class-leader. At one time a company 
of hostile Indians came near the house, with the inten- 
tion of murdering the congregation; but as they drew 
near the house, the congregation Avas engaged in singing, 
and such was the influence of the music on them that 
they quietly retired. They reported to the interpreter, 
at the treaty, not long afterw^ard, that they retired out 
of A^eneration for the Great Spirit. 

Methodism was early introduced into Harrison 
County. Silver-creek Circuit, which was the first regu- 
lar charge in Indiana, included the settlements in Clark,- 
Floyd, Harrison, and Washington Counties. Harrison 
County was subsequently in Indian-creek, and, at a later 
period, in Cory don Circuit. Methodism,, in Harrison 
County, had some noted representatives in early times. 
Among these w^as Dennis Pennington, who w^as a mem- 
ber of the first Convention that formed the Constitution 
for the State, — he was several tinjes elected a member 
of the State Legislature, and exerted a good influence, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 81 

both in public and private life, — Uncle Walter Penning- 
ton, a fiimous, though illiterate local preacher, who was 
extensively known, and "Uncle Billy Saffer," a local 
preacher of remarkable eccentricity, and without doubt 
the greatest wag in all the land. A number of his 
speeches found their way into the newspapers of the 
day on such themes as, " How I got my Education ;" 
"My Second Courtship," etc. Edward Pennington was 
also a prominent and active stcAvard in the Church in 
that county in an early day. Among the early Meth- 
odists in New Albany, Floyd County, are the names 
of Peter Stoy, a ship-joiner, whose influence was good, 
and who is worthily represented by a pioiis posterity; 
Aaron Daniels, father of Rev. Wm. Daniels, now an old 
and highly respected minister in Indiana Conference, and 
Rev. John Daniels, of California Conference ; Matthew 
Robinson, John Evans, and Daniel Seybrook; Thomas 
Sinex, father of Rev. Thomas H. Sinex, an educated 
and able minister of the Gospel; Edward Brown, Isaac 
Brooks, Benjamin Blackstone, and Obadiah Childs. The 
first organized society in JefFersonville was in 1810, 
under the ministry of Rev. Selah Payne, who traveled 
Silver-creek Circuit that year. The first society was 
composed of: Mr. Beman and wife, Stephen Beman, 
Lyman Beman, and Amanda Beman, and children; Mary 
Toville, afterward Mary Taylor; Davis Floyd, Mary 
Floyd, Richard Mosley, Samuel Lampton, Charlotte 
Lampton, and Mrs. Leatherman. Societies had been 
previously formed in the neighborhood of Charlestown, 
in the Robinson and Prather Settlements. Madison had 
preaching at an early day, and was included in the old 
Whitewater Circuit. 

Methodist preaching was introduced into Rising Sun 
by John Strange, in 1814 or 1815. The services of Mr. 

6 



82 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Strange were procured in the following manner : Mrs. 
Elizabeth De Coursey, learning that he had an appoint- 
ment two miles below the town, at the house of Mr. 
Goodin, in company with another lady, walked to the 
place of preaching, heard the sermon, and solicited an 
appointment for Rising Sun. The preacher consented, 
and left an appointment, to be filled on his next round. 
At the appointed time a small congregation assembled 
in the woods, where the foot of Main Street now is, 
seating themselves on logs and the limbs of trees that 
had been felled by the new settlers. The preacher was 
on time. He stood on the trunk of a fallen tree, and 
sounded the Gospel trumpet into the listening ears of 
his attentive and delighted, hearers, and left another 
appointment. Mr. Strange preached three or four times. 
A Mr. Craft, who had opened a house of public enter- 
tainment, offered his bar-room for preaching, which was 
accepted. Rev. Joseph Oglesby succeeded John Strange, 
and, during a brief stay, gathered up some six names, 
preparatory to the organization of a class. Rev. Daniel 
Sharp succeeded Oglesby. Sharp organized the first 
class in the town, and put it on the plan of the circuit. 
The class consisted of nine persons, namely : Elizabeth 
Craft, John Gordon, Nancy Gordon, Henry Hay man, 
Elizabeth Howlit, Jane Fulton, Azariah Oldham, Rachel 
Oldham, and Elizabeth De Coursey. The class was 
formed, and the meetings held in a school-house on the 
north-east corner of Main and High Streets. 

Lawrenceburg Circuit was organized as early as 1813. 
It included the present territory of Dearborn and Ohio 
Counties, and portions of Ripley and Franklin Counties, 
and several appointments in the state of Ohio. Law- 
renceburg, Aurora, Elizabethtown, Hardentown, Man- 
chester, the Smith Settlement/ where Mount Tabor 



INDIANA METHODISM. 83 

Church now stands^ Moore's Hill, Eubank's, and Judge 
Loudens, were prominent appointments on the circuit. 
A Mr. Batholomew, in Aurora, was one of the early 
Methodists in that town, and his house was a home for 
the preachers for many years. Among the early Meth- 
odists in Lawrenceburg were Hon. Isaac Dunn, who was 
an associate judge for a number of years. He was 
among the first settlers at the mouth of the Great 
Miami, was early converted, opened his house for public 
worship and for the entertainment of the itinerant 
preachers. He remained a citizen of Lawrenceburg 
until the day of his death, which occurred in 1870, when, 
at the ripe age of eighty-two, he exchanged a home in 
the Church militant for one in the Church triumphant. 
Rev. Elijah Sparks was a talented and educated local 
preacher, who early settled in Lawrenceburg. He was 
a practicing attorney, and yet maintained a true Chris- 
tian and ministerial character. Mrs. Lane, the wife of 
Hon. Amos Lane, a prominent lawyer, and for some time 
a member of Congress from that district, deserves men- 
tion among the early Methodists of Lawrenceburg. She 
was a lady of fine personal presence, of cultivated man- 
ners, of superior intellectual endowments, and remark- 
able force of character. Her influence was valuable in 
the Church and in the general community. Isaac Mills 
was one of the early Methodists at Elizabethtown, and 
his house was a home for the preachers, whose society 
he and his family greatly prized. On the occasion of a 
quarterly-meeting, his house was thronged with com- 
pany; for the early quarterly-meetings were signals for 
the gathering of Methodists throughout a distance of 
forty or fifty miles. It was customary on these occa- 
sions for persons who would entertain company to an- 
nounce, at the close of eleven o'clock preaching on 



84 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Saturday, how many persons and horses they could 
entertain; for nearly every body came on horseback. 
On one of these occasions, when the presiding elder was 
done preaching, and had dismissed the congregation, the 
preacher-in-charge requested those who could entertain 
company to announce how many they would take. 
Father Mills cried out, "I will take all of the preachers 
and tl^eir families," when Major M'Henry, who was a 
worthy Methodist pioneer in that locality, thinking that 
Father Mills's imdtation was rather exclusive, got on 
a bench and called out, "I will take Lazarus and all 
his family." As might be expected, the Major had the 
larger crowd. Jacob Blasdell, who resided on Tanner's 
Creek, a few miles above Lawrenceburg, was an early 
Methodist, and a staunch advocate of temperance. His 
son, Hon. Henry G. Blasdell, for some years the popular 
and worthy Governor of Nevada, has been a worthy 
pioneer of Methodism in that new mountain territory. 
Rev. Daniel Plummer, an able local preacher from the 
state of Maine, early settled at Manchester; and "Plum- 
mer's Chapel" was one of the earliest and best brick 
churches built within the bounds of the old Lawrence- 
burg Circuit. Mr. Plummer was an able preacher and 
an enterprising citizen. He represented his county 
several years in the State Legislature. Rev. A. J. Cot- 
ton was also a prominent local preacher in the old Law- 
renceburg Circuit. He taught school in the county for 
many years, was also a probate judge, and married 
more persons and preached more funeraL sermons than 
any other man in his day. He wrote a good deal of 
poetry, chiefly of a local and ephemeral character, and 
was author of a volume entitled " Cotton's Keepsake." 

The house of Samuel Goodwin was one of the ear- 
liest houses for Methodist preachers at Brookville, and 



INDIANA METHODISM. 85 

continued to be such until the day of his death. He 
has given two sons to the ministry: Rev. T. A. Good- 
win, for some time a member of the Indiana Conference, 
and subsequently President of Brookville College, and 
editor of the Indiana American, which he first pub- 
lished at Brookville, and then at Indianapolis; in the 
relation of local preacher he has always been indus- 
trious, and his ministrations have been acceptable in any 
pulpit, — Bev. W. B. Goodwin, for some years a mem- 
ber of the South-eastern Indiana Conference, and then 
of the Illinois Conference. Mr. Goodwin gave his sons 
a collegiate education, and was one of the founders and 
early patrons of Indiana Asbury University. Bev. Au- 
gustus Jocelyn was an able local preacher at Brook- 
ville, in an early day. 

Bev. Hugh Cull, a local preacher, and one of the 
members of the Convention that framed the first Con- 
stitution for the State, settled in the Whitewater country, 
a few miles south of Bichmond, in 1805, and was, doubt- 
less, the first Methodist preacher that settled in the 
state. He resided on the farm where he first settled 
for a period of fifty-seven years. He died on the 1st 
of August, 1862, in the one hundred and fifth year 
of his age. He retained both his mental and physical 
vigor, in a remarkable degree, until near the close of life. 
A few months before his death his physical strength 
gave way, and he gradually descended to the tomb. 
His death was triumphant. His last whispers were, 
" Glory, glory, glory !" Father Cull was a man of me- 
dium size, black hair, remarkably heavy eyebrows ; he 
had a pleasant voice and a very sympathetic nature. 
His preaching was very acceptable. His house was a 
home for the traveling preachers for many years, and 
few men relished preaching more than he. His interest 



86 INDIANA METHODISM. 

in the sermon often proved a help to a young or timid 
preacher. He had no children. For many years his 
family consisted of himself and wife, and a niece of his 
wife's, whom they had adopted as a daughter. Father 
Cull served for a few months in the War of the Eevo- 
lution, just at its close, and also in the War of 1812. 
He was a man of simple tastes and temperate habits. 
There was no acidity in his nature. He used no stimu- 
lants ; he drank but little tea or coffee ; sweet milk, 
from the spring-house, and honey from his own hives, 
usually adorned his table in the Summer-time. He 
made a profession of religion in early life, and preached 
it for many years, and, although subject to occasional 
spells of melancholy in his later years, was, for the most 
of his life, a happy Christian. He lived to see 'Hhe 
wilderness blossom as the rose." 

Whitewater Circuit was formed in 1807, and lay 
partly in Ohio and partly in Indiana. In 1808, a meet- 
ing-house was built about a mile and a half south-east of 
the old town of Salisbury, the first seat of justice for 
Wayne County, and was situated about half-way between 
Centerville and the city of Richmond. It was called 
"Meek's Meeting-house." Of course it was built of logs, 
but God honored it with His presence, and the humble 
worshipers often felt, " Master, it is good to be here." 
Not long after this, a second meeting-house was built in 
Wayne County, on the farm of John Cain, about three 
miles north-west of the city of Richmond. It was built 
of logs, eighteen by twenty-two, with a chimney in one 
end. The third meeting-house in the county was called 
"'^ Salem," and was built where the town of Boston now 
stands. It was larger than either of the others, and it, 
too, was built of logs. The first .frame meeting-house 
built by the Methodists, in Wayne County, was erected 



INDIANA METHODISM. 87 

under the administrations of E.ev. James Havens, in the 
town of Centerville. The largest subscription was by 
Israel Abrams, a converted Israelite, who gave fifty dol- 
lars, which was then really a large donation. Abrams 
loved God and the Church, and through a long life he 
showed his faith by his works, always setting an exam- 
ple of liberality. In 1810, there was a camp-meeting 
held just south of the old town of Salisbury, in Wayne 
County. John Sale was the presiding elder; Thomas 
Nelson and Samuel H. Thompson Avere the circuit preach- 
ers. It was a profitable meeting, and its fruit is all gar- 
nered above. ^ 
Methodism was early planted at Moore's Hill, in Dear- 
born County. The early settlers in that neighborhood 
included a number of excellent Methodist families from 
the state of Delaware and the eastern shore of Mary- 
land, among whom w^as Adam Moore, a local preacher, 
after whom the village was named; John Dashill, who 
was also for many years a local preacher; Charles Da- 
shill, and Eanna Stevens. These men and their families 
gave a moral impress to society, in that part of the coun- 
try, that is permanent and valuable. No part of our 
state maintains a higher standard of morals, and no 
community has been less cursed with intemperance and 
its kindred vices. John Stran«:e once held a sflorious 
camp-meeting on the ground now occupied by the flour- 
ishing town of Moore's Hill. The blessing of a cove- 
nant-keeping God has rested upon the descendants of 
these early Christian families. Their sons and daughters 
have come to honor. Moore's Hill college is a monu- 
ment to the intelligence and Christian liberality of John 
C. Moore, one of the sons of Rev. Adam Moore, the orig- 
inal proprietor of the town. And although he has been 
gathered with his father to his heavenly home, his works 



88 INDIANA METHODISM. 

remain, and the college that was founded chiefly through 
his instrumentality, it is hoped, will continue to bless the 
world through the ages to come. The village of Moore's 
Hill, now noted for the moral and literary tone of its so- 
ciety, and for the college of which it is justly proud, 
owes its name to the following blunder: Mr. Moore had 
erected a mill that was driven by horse-power, as w^ater- 
power could not be commanded in that vicinity; and as 
the early settlers, from a considerable distance, brought 
their corn to be ground, it occurred to some one that it 
would be a good idea to have a post-ofiice established in 
the vicinity of the mill; and accordingly a petition was 
sent to Washington, praying for the establishment of 
a post-office at Moore's Mill. The Postmaster-General, 
mistaking the M for an H, located the post-office at 
Moore's Hill, and that gave name to the village that sub- 
sequently sprang up, and to the college that has been 
founded, chiefly through the exertions and liberality of 
one of the sons of the original proprietor of Moore's 
Mill. 

Among the agencies honored in the early planting of 
churches in Indiana, and in carrying forward revival ef- 
forts, local preachers and exhorters occupied a prominent 
place, and are worthy of honorable mention. Many of 
the former had been traveling preachers, who had been 
compelled to locate for want of a support, and who con- 
tinued to labor with efficiency. Such was Moses Ash- 
worth, the apostle of Methodism in Southern Indiana. 
He settled in Posey County, where he labared as a local 
preacher for a number of years. These located preach- 
ers usually acted in concert, and kept up a regular plan 
of appointments. Of these, Garnett, Wheeler, Schra- 
der, and Ashworth, who labored in Posey, Vanderburg, 
and adjoining Counties, were prominent; and at camp- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 89 

meetings and two-days' meetings they were a power. 
Daviess County had four local preachers of note, in an 
early day, namely: James M'Cord, Elias Stone, John 
Wallace, and Ebenezer Jones. M'Cord, Stone, and Wal- 
lace traveled some; Jones remained local, and raised a 
large family. These w^ere all useful men in their day. 
Wallace and Stone both died away from home, on cir- 
cuits; M'Cord removed to Crawford County, Illinois, 
where he lived to a good old age. The names of Joseph 
Pownell, Jacob Lapp, John Lowry, Stephen Grimes, 
John Fish, Richard Posey, John Collins, Richard Brown- 
ing, Isaac Lambert, Jacob Turman, William Medford, 
Samuel Hull, Job M. Baker, Wesley Morrison, William 
Bratton, Hezekiah Holland, Joseph Freeland, and Jesse 
Graham, deserve honorable mention. Augustus Jocelyn, 
of Brookville, was a giant among the local preachers of 
his day. He was a man of culture and of extraordinary 
ability. James Garner settled in Clarke County soon 
after the Robertsons came there. He was a great help 
in building up the Church. He was a total abstinence 
man, notwithstanding the prevalent custom of using 
whisky in nearly every family. He raised a large fam- 
ily, and two of his sons were preachers. He was a re- 
vivalist, and gathered many into the Church. Barzillai 
Willey and Cornelius Ruddle were also efficient local 
preachers in Clarke County. Davis Floyd was also an 
efficient local preacher at Corydon. He was a practicing 
lawyer, and for some time Judge of the Circuit Court. 
Walter Pennington, familiarly called "Uncle Watty," 
was a licensed preacher, but his talent lay in exhortation. 
He was a natural wit, and, withal, something of a wag, 
but nevertheless a useful man. John Jones, who resided 
in the village of Elizabeth, in Harrison County, a shoe- 
maker by trade, was also a useful local preacher. Jones 



90 INDIANA METHODISM. 

came from Baltimore, and was for many years recording 
steAvard on Cory don Circuit. George Prosser was a local 
preacher and a physician, in Orange County. Jacob 
Bruner was a local preacher of considerable usefulness 
among the hills of Martin County. Joseph Arnold, Isam 
West, and William Webb were useful local preachers in 
Warwick County. At Evansville, Bobert Parrott was 
prominent both as a citizen and a local preacher. Bich- 
ard and Joseph Wheeler were also prominent local 
preachers in the vicinity of Evansville. They were 
from England, and had been familiar with Methodism in 
the old country, having sat under the ministry of Dr. 
Adam Clarke. 

The following sketch of early society in Indiana is 
from the pen of Bev. A. Wood, D. D., than whom few 
men have seen more of Indiana, or observed it more 
closely : 

^^In 1816, the season was very cold. In the w^estem 
part of New York, and the north-western part of Penn- 
sylvania, they raised no grain for bread. This caused 
many who had tried that country to move further south. 
Hence, in 1817, large numbers built family boats at Or- 
leans, on the Alleghany, and floated down the Ohio. 
They settled in Dearborn, Switzeidand, Jennings, and 
Washington Counties, forming neighborhoods of their 
own. In many respects, they differed from the Ken- 
tuckians, especially in the arts of labor for opening a 
new farm in the forest. These brought the Yankee ax, 
with the crooked helve; they used oxen for-^ rolling logs, 
and built their cabins square, instead of oblong, with 
the chimney in one end, having a fifth corner, like the 
letter V, as the Virginians and Kentuckians did. These 
Yankees and Pennsylvanians sought out the mill-sites, 
as they were called, and erected water-mills on the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 91 

streams. I never knew a Kentuckian in those days 
build any thing better than a horse-mill. During the 
Territorial Government, the offices were filled by Vir- 
ginians; but from 1816 to 1820, the State Government 
was in the hands of Pennsylvanians. There was never 
a sufficient foreign immigration from Europe to make a 
political power; yet there were local settlements of 
English direct from old England in Franklin, Dearborn, 
and Vanderburg Counties ; the Swiss at Yevay, and the 
French at Yincennes. These, however, were contented 
with the home influence, and did not aspire to the offices 
of state. Not so, however, with the New Yorker, Penn- 
sylvanian, Jerseyman, Yirginian, or stray Yankee. A 
desire for office prompted some of them to remove to 
the new country, as was confessed by one of the asso- 
ciate judges, who, on returning to his old home, said : 
' Do you think I would stay here and be a common man, 
when I can go there and be a judge ?' 

"An unfortunate occurrence took place at Yincennes, 
in the early history of Methodism there, that left a bad 
impression for some time. Thomas A. King, a member 
of the Tennessee Conference, who had traveled Patoka 
Circuit, and was very popular at Yincennes and in all 
that region of country, went into mercantile business, 
and, as his capital was limited, he bought largely on 
credit. A great change occurring in the condition of 
currency, causing a heavy reduction in prices, he failed 
to make payment, but sold his goods to William and 
Henry Merrick. The goods were enjoined; they were 
all three arrested for fraud, and, as the law then was, 
sent to jail by the creditor. The last mention of King's 
name in the Minutes of the Conference is the record of 
his location in the Tennessee Conference, in 1817. He 
was a talented and popular young minister, but unfortu- 



92 INDIANA METHODISM. 

nately yielded to the spirit of speculation, often so rife 
in a new country; and, whether guilty of intentional 
fraud or not, his course blighted the remainder of his 
life, and involved his two friends. 

'^In 1832, James Armstrong was appointed super- 
intendent of the Missionary District, and missionary on 
Laporte Mission. The district embraced Upper Wabash 
Mission, S. C. Cooper; St. Joseph and South Bend Mis- 
sions, R. S. Robinson and George M. Beswick; Kala- 
mazoo Mission, James T. Robe ; Fort Wayne Mission, 
Boyd Phelps ; Laporte Mission, James Armstrong. 

"The first meeting-house was built this year at Door 
Village, by James Armstrong, who secured a subscrip- 
tion of three hundred dollars at one of his quarterly- 
meetings there. The first camp-meeting held in Laporte 
County was on the farm of J. Osbon, while Armstrong 
was on his death-bed. He was unable to leave his room, 
but gave directions for the management of the meeting. 
The preachers at the meeting were Boyd Phelps, A. 
Johnson, and E. Smith. About this time some influ- 
ential local preachers moved into the county. There 
was quite an emigration from Clarke County, and F. 
Standiford and Stephen Jones came from Ohio. 

" Methodism was introduced into Elkhart County in 
1830, under the following circumstances : James Snyder, 
residing on Elkhart Prairie, went to Michigan to hear 
E. Felton preach at the village of White Pigeon, and in- 
vited him to his cabin, which was taken into the mis- 
sion, and a class formed at his house, of which Azel 
Sparklin was the leader. The same year a class was 
formed on Pleasant Plain, at Jacob Roop's, consisting of 
nine members, of whom Samuel Roop was the leader. 
The first quarterly-meeting in the county w^as held by 
Erastus Felton, assisted by a local preacher by the name 



INDIANA METHODISM. 93 

of James Hellman, from Fort Wayne. Elkhart County 
was included in the St. Joseph Mission for some years. 
In 1832j there were societies organized at Roope's, Tib- 
betts's, and Frear's. Richard S. Robinson organized 
the first class in Goshen, and Robert P. Randell was the 
leader. The class consisted of about twenty members, 
and met in a log-house on Fifth Street. The first camp- 
meeting in the county was held on the fjxrm of James 
Frian. Connersville and Whitewater Circuits were 
favored with the labors of a large number of talented 
and industrious local preachers. Prominent among these 
was James Conwell, who came from Maryland, and set- 
tled near where the town of Laurel now stands, of which 
he was the proprietor. He built a meeting-house a mile 
and a half above Laurel, some years before that town 
was laid out, called Boachim. Mr. Conwell was a man 
of large wealth, owning a great deal of land. He also 
conducted a dry-goods store, and annually drove a great 
many hogs to Cincinnati ; for that was the only way of 
getting live-stock to market, there being neither rail- 
roads or canals in the state. Mr. Conwell was the first 
man ever known to keep the Sabbath while driving hogs 
to market; and no matter what was the condition of the 
weather, the roads, or the market, when Saturday night 
came, he stopped with his hogs, and rested until Monday. 
He usually went in advance of his drove, made arrange- 
ments for resting over the Sabbath, and generally had 
an appointment for preaching to the people ; and he 
had the pleasure of knowing that he had some seals 
to his ministry as the result of these labors. Mr. Con- 
well was one of the early and zealous advocates of a 
system of internal improvement in Indiana. The White- 
water Canal owed its construction to his influence ; and, 
although the work has proved a financial failure, Mr. 



94 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Conwell showed, by his devotion to that and other public 
works, that he was a public-spirited and useful citizen. 
Mr. Conwell served as a member of the State Legislature, 
and, by his ability and public spirit, commanded the 
respect of his fellow-members. Mr. Conwell was a very 
sympathetic man. He cried a great deal while he was 
preaching, and usually made his hearers cry before 
he was done. From 1824 to several years afterward, 
James Conwell, John Havens, Joel Havens, Thomas 
Silvey, John Morrow, Charles Morrow, John Gregg, 
James Gregg, John Linville, James Linville, Robert 
Groves, and Thomas Leonard, were all within the bounds 
of Connersville Circuit." 

Dr. A. Wood remarks : 

"Every variety of gifts were exemplified in these 
men. They were strong in doctrine, wise in disci- 
pline, critical in letters, bold in reproof, and pathetic in 
exhortation; and at a camp-meeting their labors were 
ver}^ efficient for lasting good on the entire community. 
John Morrow was a scholarly man, and spent most of 
his life as a school-teacher. Joel Havens was chiefly 
noted for his wonderful gift of exhortation. Few men 
knew how to play on the emotions and passions of an 
audience as did he. The two Greggs and John Lin- 
ville embraced some heresy, and were led away from 
the Church. Charles Hardy, William Patterson, and 
William Hunt were also talented local preachers within 
the bounds of the old Connersville Circuit. Patterson 
had traveled extensively in the South-west ^previous to 
his location. Thomas Milligan and Thomas Hewson 
were local preachers residing in the bounds of Bloom- 
ington Circuit, in 1826. They had both been traveling 
preachers. An old-fixshioned quarterly meeting, in a 
new country, on one of these large four-weeks' circuits, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 95 

with the chxiiit preachers, presiding elder, and this 
large array of local preachers, with the exhorters, class- 
leaders and stewards, made an occasion of interest, and 
often marked an epoch in the history of some neighbor- 
hood or village." 

Dr. Aaron Wood, in a letter under date of May 10, 
1871, says of Dr. Benjamin Adams, who resided for 
some time in the bounds of Corydon Circuit : 

'^1 hope some one will give you an account of Dr. 
Ben. Adams. He w^as the first male child born in 
Louisville, and was a rude boy, the son of a widow. He 
had a log roll over him when a boy, that put out one of 
his eyes and left a scar across his forehead and nose, 
down to his chin. He was a shoe-maker when he was 
converted and began to preach. His preaching in the 
market-house of Louisville attracted the attention of 
some rich men, who furnished him money to go to Phil- 
adelphia and study medicine. He was the only man 
I ever knew that was a great doctor, a great preacher, 
and a great politician, at the same time. He Avas con- 
nected with Corydon Circuit when it had one thousand 
members and twenty local preachers. Our acquaintance, 
up to that time, was mostly a conference acquaintance. 
On an appeal by T. Highfield, who was accused by 
Adams, and found guilty by the society of Corydon, 
John Strange was in the chair, and Wm. Daniels, Sec- 
retary. Appeals were very common in those days on 
those large circuits. Highfield had been expelled by 
Thomas Davis at the close of the year, who had kept 
no minutes of the trial. I took the ground, in his 
defense, that, as there was no minute or proof of the 
specification before the Conference, he should be re- 
stored to the Church, or at least have a new trial. 
After a half-day in debate, Adams beat me, and the 



96 INDIANA METHODISM, 

Conference affirmed the decision of the society. This 
acquaintance made us true friends ever afterward." 

John Schrader was a pioneer itinerant, and, after his 
location, an efficient local preacher for many years. He 
was born in Baltimore, 1792; emigrated with his parents 
to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1795. He was converted 
and joined the Church in 1810; was licensed to exhort 
in 1811, and to preach in 1812. He was admitted into 
the Conference in 1814, and appointed to Greenville Cir- 
cuit, in Kentucky, which had ten appointments, and was 
four hundred miles around. Peter Cartwright was his 
presiding elder. In 1815, he was sent to Vincennes Cir- 
cuit, with twenty appointments, and three hundred miles 
around it. Jesse Walker was his presiding elder. In 
1816, he was sent to St. Charles, Missouri, where there 
were twenty appointments, and the circuit was three 
hundred and fifty miles in circumference. Samuel H. 
Thompson was his presiding elder. In 1817, he was 
sent again to Vincennes Circuit, with King and Davis as 
colleagues. The circuit had been enlarged until it was 
five hundred and fifty miles around it. Jesse Walker 
was the presiding elder. In 1818, he was sent to Blue- 
river Circuit, which was supposed to lie somewhere be- 
tween Corydon and the mouth of the Wabash River, 
stretching along the Ohio, and extending north no one 
knew how far. After the most diligent search, he failed 
to find any circuit within the prescribed limits, and 
reported the facts to his presiding elder, who sent him 
for the third time to Vincennes Circuit. In 1819, he 
was sent to White-river Circuit, Arkansas, Avhich had 
ten appointments, and was four hundred miles in cir- 
cumference. In 1820, he was sent to Corydon Circuit, 
Indiana, where he remained two years. At the end 
of the second year he located. He married Pamelia 



INDIANA METHODISM. 97 

Jacquess in the Fall of 1822, shortly after his location. 
He was ordained deacon by Bishop Asbmy at Lebanon, 
Tennessee, in 1816, and ordained elder by Bishop Rob- 
erts at Olwell's Camp-ground, below Alton, Illinois, in 
1818. 

The following letter from Father Schrader, in answer 
to one of inquiry, under date of March 10, 1871, will 
be read with interest by many who have known him : 

"Dear Brother, — Yours of February 9, 1871, is 
before me. Some years have passed since I sent you 
an account of my travels in the Church, from the time 
of the first Missouri Conference to the time of my set- 
tlement in Poseyville — ^in all eight years — all of which 
I have now forgotten. The date of my location, and 
the list of my appointments in the work, you can find 
in the Minutes of the Conference much better than I am 
able to give them. Next October I shall be seventy- 
eight years old. My mind is truly superannuated. I 
am worn out, and am of no use in the Church. Whether 
you will be able to read this scrawl or not, I can not tell. 
The Lord is my only hope. In Him I will trust until 
my end shall come, which I think will not be long. I 
will be glad to get one of your books, when you have 
completed your work. 

" I remain yours, John Schrader." 

Several fiicts in the early history of the Church in 
Indiana deserve special notice, and call for a word of ex- 
planation. The first societies, as a general rule, were 
formed in the country, and the first circuits were named 
after rivers or creeks. The town sites were located 
either with reference to commercial advantages or as 
expected seats of justice for counties, in many cases yet 
to be organized. In many of the towns the property- 



98 INDIANA METHODISM. 

holders, and the incumbents and seekers for office, were 
not only irreligious, but opposed even to the forms of 
religion, and made no provision for Christian worship. 
In such cases, the villages were unpromising fields for 
Christian effort, while those who settled in the country 
were not only less exposed, but also less inclined to 
vice. The moral impress of the first settlers in many 
of the towns in Indiana remains to the present day. 
Connersville, Vevay, Salem, Terre Haute, and Vincennes 
were for many years unpromising fields of labor, be- 
cause the influence of wealth and of official and social 
position were all against Christianity. The same, to 
a great extent, was true in Jeffersonville and Hising 
Sun. In many cases, the proprietor of the town, the 
clerk of the court, or the landlord of the tavern, gave 
tone to the morals of the village. In other cases, some 
man of capital, or some fiimily of culture, made an im- 
press that was not only abiding, but reproducing; for 
society, like the individual, has its formative state, its 
educational period, when it takes on, with more or less 
distinctness, the characteristics that are likely ever after- 
ward to adhere to it. Brookville, Corydon, Charles- 
town, Bloomington, and Indianapolis were fortunate in 
this respect. Their early and more influential citizens 
were, many of them, professors of religion, and those 
who were not professors of religion respected it, and 
recognized the importance of its influence upon society; 
and the good resulting to these respective communities 
from the character and position of their early settlers, is 
incalculable. 

But " honor to whom honor is due." The bar-room, 
although saturated with whisky and tobacco, was never- 
theless often the first place thrown open for preaching, 
in a Western village, and the landlord would pride him- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 99 

self in maintaining good order during the services. The 
first sermons preached in New Albany and in Rising Sun 
were preached in bar-rooms. A preacher on one of our 
Western circuits had, in his monthly rounds, to pass a 
village in which there was a tavern, a blacksmith-shop, 
a store, and a few other buildings. As he had to pass 
the tavern about the middle of the day, he concluded to 
leave an appointment and preach them a sermon, while 
his horse was eating. He accordingly left word that, at 
his next round, he would preach at 12 M., in the bar- 
room. The landlord circulated the appointment far and 
wide. When the preacher came in sight, quite a com- 
pany of men had gathered, and were busy pitching 
quoits until the preacher should arrive. The preacher 
dismounted, gave his horse in charge of the hostler, 
walked into the bar-room, followed by the crowd of men, 
and began services immediately. After singing and 
prayer, he took his text : " Seek first the kingdom of 
God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be 
added unto you." He endeavored, in plain words, to 
show them the absurdity and folly of serving the devil. 
"Now," said he, "if you want to be happy, the devil 
can't make you happy. He is the most wretched being 
in all the universe; and, as misery loves company, he 
will drag you down to his own fiery abode. If you are 
seeking for honor, the devil has none to bestow : he is 
the most dishonorable being that lives. And if you are 
seeking for wealth, the devil has none of it; if you 
were to sweep hell from one end to the other, you would 
not get a sixpence." A large, honest, but coarse-looking 
fellow, sitting right before the preacher, with eyes and 
mouth wide open, exclaimed, unconsciously, "God! 
money is as scarce thar as it is here !" Seed thus sown 
by the wayside sometimes produces permanent fruit. A 



100 INDIANA METHODISM. 

sermon preached under somewhat similar circumstances, 
by James Conwell, of Laurel, led to the conversion of a 
tavern-keeper, who disposed of his liquors, and opened 
his bar-room for preaching, and it remained the perma- 
nent place of worship until the erection of the village 
church. 

Rev. A. Wood, D. D., whose opportunities for obser- 
vation have been unequaled, gives the following sketch 
of the characteristics of the early settlers in Indiana: 

"The most liberal and hospitable were those who 
came from Virginia and Maryland ; the most economical 
and tidy came from New Jersey ; the most enterprising 
and commercial came from Pennsylvania and New York, 
with here and there a stray Yankee ; the least enterpris- 
ing and uneducated came from South Carolina and East 
Tennessee. Kentucky sent two characters : the one a 
lazy hunter, who had neither enterprise nor education; 
the other, industrious farmers, who moved away from 
slavery, or sought county offices. These last were edu- 
cated, and very hospitable. 

"During territorial times, Virginians and Mary landers 
had nearly all the offices. The contest at the first state 
elections, Avhile the seat of Government was at Corydon, 
was between the Virginians and Pennsylvanians. After 
it went to Indianapolis, it was between the Kentuckians 
and the Indianians of the older counties— Franklin, 
Dearborn, Harrison, and Knox having, by that time, 
produced their own aspirants. 

"And it is remarkable that, down to 1825, Ohio sent 
very few emigrants who stopped in Indiana. There 
were interspersed, in all the towns, a few educated men 
from England, Ireland, Germany, and the older states ', 
and the peculiar, personal, magnetic power wielded by 
individuals, is felt to this day ; and the present charac- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 101 

teristics of the county towns may be traced back, good 
or bad, to the influence of a few men. The Methodists, 
as an organized power, did not Jiave an even start with 
other denominations, among the first settlers. The Pres- 
byterians, Baptists, and Quakers all had their neighbor- 
hoods, houses, preachers, and schools in advance of us. 
True, they have had more offshoots, or divisions; for, be 
it known, all who are now here in the state went from 
them, not from us. The New-lights Avere from the old 
Kentucky Synod; the Disciples from the old Baptists; 
the Cumberlands, from the Presbyterians; the United 
Brethren in Christ began by a union of Presbyterians 
and Baptists : they never were Methodists. Otterbein 
was a Presbyterian, and Boehm was a Menonite. These 
offshoots from the old Churches, in differing from the 
parent stock, took shape and color from the Methodists, 
doing all they could to absorb from our soil. It is mat- 
ter of rejoicing that there never was an offshoot from us 
but our colored brethren, and they are none the less 
Methodists by their present organization." 



102 INDIANA METHODISM. 



CHAPTER YI. 

General Narrative — Rev. Edwin Ray — His Life and Labors — Benjamin 
C. Stevenson — Indiana Conference in 1833 — Sketch of John 
Strange — Anthony F. Thompson — Indiana Conference in 1834 — 
George Locke — Reminiscences of his Labors — Sketch of James 
Armstrong — Nehemiah B. Griffith — James Armstrong appointed 
Missionary — His Personal Appearance and Manner of Preaching — 
First Societies formed in the State — Elkhart Circuit formed — Indiana 
Conference in 1835 — Origin of the "Preachers' Aid Society" — Ed- 
ward R. Ames, Agent — Indiana Conference in 1836 — "Indiana As- 
bury University " located at Greencastle — John C.Smith, Agent — 
Camp-meeting on Rushville Circuit in 1837 — Memorable Storm — 
Anecdote of Ames and Smith — Indiana Conference in 1837 — Scene 
on a Steamboat — George Randle — John Decker — William Evans — 
Eli P. Farmer and Others — Asa Beck — James Scott — Thomas S. 
Hill and Isaac N. Ellsbury — Robert Burns, Joseph Oglesby, and 
Others — Anecdote of J. V. Watson — William H. Goode appointed 
President of New Albany Seminary — Is succeeded by George Har- 
rison — Founders of the Institution — Indiana Conference in 1838 — 
Traveling to Conference in Early Times — Incident — Indiana Confer- 
ence in 1839 — Indiana German Mission established — First Mission- 
aries — Contributions to Missions in 1835 and 1840. 

IN 1831, the Church in Indiana lost an able and zealous 
minister, in the person of Rev. Edwin Ray. He was 
born in Montgomery County, Kentucky, July 26, 1803; 
made a profession of religion at a camp-meeting in Clarke 
County, July 26, 1819. His father, Rev. John Ray, 
was for many years a noted Methodist preacher in Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina : a man of remark- 
able personal courage and Christian zeal. In 1793, we 
find him appointed to Green Circuit, in East Tennessee. 
The three following years he labored in Virginia. From 
1797 to 1800, he traveled extensively in North Carolina, 
and from excessive toil and exposure, he broke down, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 103 

and had to retire from the effective ranks of the minis- 
try, where he had been an honored instrument in the 
hands of God, of doing much good. In 1801, he located, 
and returned to Montgomery County, Kentucky, where 
his family resided until 1831, when, in consequence of 
his opposition to slavery, he emigrated to Indiana. Al- 
though his family remained on his farm near Mt. Ster- 
ling, he re-entered the itinerancy in 1819, and for two 
years traveled Lexington Circuit, after which he succes- 
sively traveled Limestone, Madison, Danville, and Hink- 
stone Circuits. Mr. Ray settled some seven miles north 
of Greencastle, in Putnam County, where he died in 
1837, in the sixty-ninth year of his age, esteemed and 
beloved by all w^ho knew him. Edwin Ray had inher- 
ited the personal courage and moral heroism of his fa- 
ther. He was received into the Kentucky Conference 
in 1822, where he labored with diligence and success for 
two years. In 1824, he volunteered for, and was trans- 
ferred to, Illinois Conference. He labored with zeal and 
marked success in Vincennes, Bloomington, and Indian- 
apolis Circuits, and in Madison Station, where he had to 
check the tide of radicalism, that for a time threatened 
to sweep all before it. In the conference year of 1829 
and 1830, his health having failed, he received a super- 
annuated relation ; but such was his zeal for God that he 
labored half of that year in Terre Haute, notwithstand- 
ing his impaired health. The following year, though 
still sustaining a supernumerary relation, he was sta- 
tioned in Terre Haute, where he labored beyond his 
strength, and with marked success ; and notwithstanding 
Methodism w^as feeble, he drew to his ministry the most 
intelligent and thoughtful, and made a profound impres- 
sion in favor of religion. Having finished his labors for 
the year, he started for conference, but had traveled only 



104 INDIANA METHODISM. 

a few miles when he was taken severely sick, and 
stopped at the house of Mr. I. Barnes, where, after an 
illness of eleven days, he closed his earthly pilgrimage. 
His death was triumphant. He said : " Tell my breth- 
ren in the ministry that the religion I have professed and 
preached to others, has comforted me in life, supported 
me in affliction, and now^ enables me to triumph in 
death." A letter from his then venerable father, under 
date of November 11, 1831, only a short time after Ed- 
win's death, contains the following paragraph : " When 
I was told that Edwin was praying in another tent, I 
w^as much affected, and solemnly promised God, if he 
would convert him, I would give him up to Him all his 
days. The good Lord heard my request, and answered 
my prayer. The news of his death was not so affecting 
to me as a location. I would willingly supply his place 
with another son, if I had one, only to live as long and 
useful as Edwin. But the Lord has taken him home ; 
bless the Lord!" Edwin Ray was an honor to so noble 
a father. A man of sound judgment, deep religious ex- 
perience, and well versed in the doctines of the Bible; 
open and frank in his manner, he found ready access to 
the hearts of the people in social life; earnest and im- 
passioned in the pulpit, his ministry was both popular and 
effective. Colonel John W. Ray, only surviving son of 
Edwin Ray, is widely known, throughout the state as an 
efficient Sabbath-school worker, and an eloquent lay 
preacher. 

Rev. Benjamin C. Stevenson, who had just been ap- 
pointed to Indianapolis Station, died in the Fall of 1831. 
He was a young man of marked ability and great prom- 
ise. Dignified in his deportment, cultivated in his man- 
ners, eloquent in the pulpit, and devoted to the work of 
the ministry, the Church had much to expect from him. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 105 

He was converted at the age of sixteen. In 1827, he 
joined the Illinois Conference, and traveled successively 
Eel-river and Carlisle Circuits, and Galena Mission. In 
1830, he was stationed in Madison, and in 1831, was ap- 
pointed to Indianapolis Station; but before he had en- 
tered upon his new field of labor, only a few weeks after 
his marriage, the Master called him from labor to reward. 

In 1833, the Indiana Conference met in Madison, 
Indiana. At this Conference there were reported 
23,617 members; eighteen preachers were received on 
trial, and sixty-eight preachers were appointed to 
charges. John Strange and Anthony F. Thompson had 
been called during the year from labor to reward. 

Strange died in Indianapolis, on the 2d day of De- 
cember, 1833. He was in many respects a remarkable 
man. He evinced a singular deadness to the world, and 
a remarkable trust in Divine providence. He was a 
man of slender form, black hair, keen, penetrating eyes, 
a rich, musical voice, clear and distinct in its tones, 
rising from the lowest to the highest key without the 
slightest jar. He was a charming singer. Graceful in 
manner and eloquent in the pulpit, he was a recognized 
power in the Church. Strange entered the ministry in 
the old Western Conference, in the state of Ohio, in 
1810, when he was not quite twenty-one years of age, 
and spent his ministerial life in Ohio and Indiana. In 
1812, he traveled Whitewater Circuit, which extended 
from the neighborhood of LaAvrenceburg, on the Ohio 
River, to where the city of Richmond, in Wayne County, 
now stands. One of his appointments was at a fort 
on Clear Creek, a few miles north-west of where the 
city of Richmond now stands. Mr. Strange was a very 
punctual man. Once every four weeks he made his 
appearance at the fort, with his rifle on his shoulder. 



106 INDIANA METHODISM. 

The country was at war with Great Britain. The In- 
dians were hostile, and it was very dangerous for a soli- 
tary man to travel through the country; but, trusting 
in Divine providence, and not forgetting his rifle, and 
keeping a sharp look-out for the Indians, Mr. Strange 
passed through the dense woods from one appointment 
to another, unharmed. His self-denial, and entire devo- 
tion to the work of the ministry, greatly endeared him 
to the people. His power over an audience was wonder- 
ful. In voice and gesture he was faultless. Oratory 
was native with him. No man was ever more truly born 
a poet than John Strange was an orator. Often, in his 
happiest flights of eloquence, he would lift his audiences 
from their seats, and hundreds would find themselves 
unconsciously standing on their feet, and gazing in- 
tently at the speaker. His descriptive powers were 
fine. When he was preaching the funeral of Edwin 
Ray in Indianapolis, who had been his intimate friend 
and associate, toward the close of his sermon, while 
describing the second coming of Christ, he represented 
him as descending in the clouds, bringing the saints with 
him. He stood erect for a moment, and, looking up- 
ward, cried out, "Where is Edwin Ray?" Still looking 
upward, he exclaimed, in a voice that thrilled his audi- 
ence, "I see him; I see him!" And then, with both 
hands raised, as if welcoming him, and with a voice that 
seemed to reach the heavens, he cried, "Hail, Edwin! 
Hail, Edwin! Hail, Edwin!" The efl'ect was thrilling, 
and will never be forgotten by those wha heard it. 
Strange was then sinking under pulmonary consumption, 
and in a few months he joined Edwin Ray "on the ever- 
green shores." The mortal remains of Strange sleep in 
the old cemetery at Indianapolis. 

Anthony F. Thompson was a young man of promise. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 107 

He entered the ministry in 1829, and closed his labors 
and his life May 19, 1833. 

In 1834, the Indiana Conference met in Centerville, 
Wayne County. Members reported, 24,984 whites, and 
229 colored. The missionary collections for the whole 
Conference amounted to $152.50. Three preachers 
located during the year, namely: Lorenzo D. Smith, 
Thomas S. Hitt, and Isaac N. Ellsbury; and three 
preachers had died during the year: George Locke, Ne- 
heniiah B. Griffith, and James Armstrong. 

George Locke was born in Cannonstown, Pennsyl- 
vania, on the 8th of June, 1799. His parents were 
David and Nancy Locke. His great-grandfather and 
grandfather were both clergymen in the Church of En- 
gland, and his father was educated in reference to the 
ministry in the Presbyterian Church; which design, how- 
ever, he abandoned, and engaged in teaching. The 
mother of George was a lady of superior endowments, 
and a pious member of the Presbyterian Church. The 
family came to Kentucky in 1798, and settled in Mason 
County, but, two years afterward, removed to Shelby- 
ville. Young Locke was converted in a revival that 
occurred under the labors of a local preacher by the 
name of Edward Talbott. In 1817, he was licensed to 
exhort, and, shortly after, to preach. At the session 
of the Tennessee Conference for 1818, he was admitted 
on trial, and appointed to Little-river Circuit, and the 
next year to the Powell's-valley. In 1820, he was sent 
to the Bowling Green Circuit, as the colleague of Ben- 
jamin Malone, and with Charles HoUiday as his pre- 
siding elder. During the year he was married to Miss 
Elizabeth B. M'Reynolds, a lady of fine cultivation and 
deep piety, and belonging to one of the best Methodist 
families in the state, and the following year he located. 



108 INDIANA METHODISM. 

But, not satisfied in a local relation, his name reappears 
the next year in the list of itinerants, from which it 
is never after to be stricken until he is called to his 
reward. His fields of labor in Kentucky, after his 
return to the Conference, were the Jefferson and Hart- 
ford Circuits; on the latter of which he remained two 
years. Beyond the Ohio Biver, the country was filling 
up with remarkable rapidity. Not only from Virginia and 
Tennessee, but also from Kentucky, hundreds of fam- 
ilies, attracted by the cheap and fertile lands of Indiana 
and Hlinois, had sought homes within their rich domain. 
Mr. Locke, belicAdng that a wider field for usefulness 
presented itself in this new country, in the Autumn 
of 1825, requested to be transferred to the Illinois Con- 
ference, then embracing the states of Illinois and In- 
diana. His first appointment was to Corydon Circuit, 
where also he continued the following year. In 1827, 
he was appointed to Charlestown Circuit. His labors on 
Corydon Circuit had been crowned with signal success; 
but on Charlestown Circuit he was privileged to witness 
one of the most remarkable awakenings with which 
Southern Indiana has ever been visited. He remained, 
however, on this circuit but about six months. The 
General Conference of 1828 elected Charles Holliday, 
then presiding elder of the Wabash District, Agent for 
the Book Concern at Cincinnati; and George Locke was 
appointed to fill the vacancy on the district. This dis- 
trict, at that time, extended from Shawneetown, on the 
Ohio Biver, up the Wabash, on both sides, -above Terre 
Haute some twenty or thirty miles, embracing an area 
of territory in Indiana and Illinois of at least a hundred 
miles from east to west, by two hundred miles from 
north to south. He traveled this .district four years, 
receiving, much of the time, scarcely enough to pay 



INDIANA METHODISM. 109 

traveling expenses. His wife, who had been engaged 
in teaching from the time he re-entered the traveling 
connection, supported the family, and rejoiced that in so 
doing she could enable her husband to preach the un- 
searchable riches of Christ. His slender constitution 
gave Avay under the labors and exposures endured upon 
that district, and, though he completed the usual term 
of service, it Avas about the last of his effective labor. 

Some time in the Winter of 1831-32, one of the se- 
verest Winters ever known in the West, Mr. Locke was 
returning home, after an absence of several weeks. When 
he reached the Wabash River, he found it gorged with 
ice. He and another traveler waited at the' house of the 
ferryman, three or four days, for a change in the weather, 
or in the condition of the ice; but as no change came, 
and as they were impatient to proceed on their journey, 
they resolved on breaking a channel through the ice, for 
the ferry-boat. Accordingly, the next morning, they ad- 
dressed themselves to the work with all diligence, and at 
sunset found themselves within a rod or tw^o of the oppo- 
site shore. Mr. Locke was standing on the bow of the 
boat, fatigued and tremulous, breaking the ice Avith a 
rail. Striking a piece with all the force he could com- 
mand, it suddenly gave way, not making the resistance 
he had anticipated, and precipitated him into the river. 
As he arose, and Avas just drifting under the ice, his 
companions rescued him. Though the shock w^as a fear- 
ful one, and he Avas not only thoroughly drenched but 
thoroughly chilled also, he resolved to persevere in his 
Avork, and actually did persevere till the shore was 
reached. He then mounted his horse, and rode ten miles 
to the next house; but Avhen he reached there, he Avas 
frozen to his saddle, and speechless. The horse stopped 
of his oAvn accord, and the family, coming to the door, 



110 INDIANA METHODISM. 

and perceiving his condition, lifted him from his horse^ 
and cared for him very kindly, until, after a day or two, 
he was able to resume his journey. Mrs. Locke had, 
for days, been anxiously awaiting the return of her hus- 
band, and finally yielded to the appalling conviction that 
he was frozen to death. A friend who was with her 
tried to assuage her grief by inducing her to look more 
upon the hopeful side, but she refused to be comforted. 
When he suggested to her that he should not be sur- 
prised even if she should see her husband that very 
night, she besought him not to trifle with her feelings 
by endeavoring thus to make her credit an impossibility. 
He had scarcely had time to assure her that he was far 
from trifling with her feelings, when the latch of the gate 
was lifted, the well-known footstep of her husband was 
heard, and instantly she was well-nigh paralyzed with 
joy in his arms. 

Amidst all his manifold and self-denying labors, he 
never abated his habits of study. He redeemed time, 
not only for the study of systematic theology, but for 
general reading. He acquired some knowledge of 
Greek and Latin, and made considerable proficiency in 
the higher branches of mathematics. He continued his 
studies until a few weeks before his death, and had his 
books brought to him, even after he was confined to his 
bed. The General Conference of 1832, of which Mr. 
Locke was a member, divided the Illinois Conference, and 
constituted a separate conference of the state of Indiana. 
In the Autumn of that year he was transferred to Indi- 
ana, and was returned to Corydon Circuit. Here his 
health became much reduced, which led him to remove 
to New Albany, and engage with his wife in school- 
teaching. In the Autumn of 1833,, he took a superan- 
nuated relation, and on the 15th of July, 1834, he died. 



INDIANA METHODISM. Ill 

He never recovered from the cold contracted from falling 
into the Wabash Kiver. He died of consumption, after 
much patient suffering, and in the full confidence of be- 
ing welcomed to the joys of the Lord. His last words, 
which were uttered with his last breath, were, " Glory ! 
Glory! Glory!"* 

James Armstrong was a native of Ireland, and was 
brought by his parents to America when but a child. He 
was converted when about seventeen years of age, and 
attached himself to the Methodist Church, in the city of 
Philadelphia. He was licensed to preach in the city of 
Baltimore, in 1812. He emigrated to Indiana in 1821, 
and in the Fall of the same year joined the itinerant 
connection, in which he continued an able and efficient 
minister till the close of life, which occurred at his own 
residence, in Laporte County, on the 12th of September, 
1834. Of him, Hon. E. W. Thompson says, in his 
"Fallen Heroes of Indiana Methodism:" "Armstrong 
was a man of immense power — strong, logical, and con- 
clusive. He threw his whole soul into his work ; and if, 
sometimes, he was not altogether precise in his style, yet 
at others he seemed almost moved by inspiration, so com- 
pletely were his words expressive of his correct thoughts. 
When he intended to strike a hard blow, he never failed 
to make it terrific, shivering the helmet of whatsoever 
adversary dared, in his presence, to assail the citadel of 
Christianity." (Indiana Methodist Convention, 1870.) 
Mr. Armstrong's ministry was very successful. God gave 
him many seals to his ministry in Indiana, and honored 
him, as an instrument in His hands, with laying deep and 
broad the foundations of the Church, in this new and 
growing state. 

Nehemiah B. Griffith was a native of the state of 

* Sprague's "Annals," p. 610. 



112 INDIANA METHODISM. 

New York. In the eighteenth year of his age, he came 
with his father's family to the state of Ohio. When 
ahout eighteen years of age, he was led to Christ, and 
into the Methodist Church, chiefly through the instru- 
mentality of Rev. W. H. Raper. He entered the min- 
istry in 1822, and continued, with great zeal and effi- 
ciency, until the day of his death, which occurred in St. 
Joseph County, August 22, 1834. Mr. Griffith was a 
very successful preacher. He was a clear doctrinal 
preacher; and he preached the doctrines of the Bible so 
practically and experimentally, and withal with such an 
unction, that his ministry was generally attended with 
extensive revivals of religion. His last words were, 
^^ Sweet Heaven, I am coming!" 

"Previous to 1832, all the settlements of Northern 
Indiana were visited by missionaries from Michigan, 
which was then in what was called North Ohio Confer- 
ence. Erastus Felton, in 1830, and L. B. Gurley, in 
1831, preached in Laporte County. But, in 1832, there 
w^as made an Indiana Conference, and James Armstrong 
was appointed missionary, and superintendent of a mis- 
sion district. He settled on a farm near Door Village. 
James Armstrong was the evangelist of our Church in 
this country, influencing many Church members to move 
to it from the older parts of the state, and remaining in 
the country, as an enterprising missionary, until his 
death. Armstrong was a man of medium weight; his 
chin, lips, and nose sharp ; eyes small, eyebrows heavy, 
forehead square and high, and hair thickset and dark. 
He was always neatly dressed in plain black. He had a 
good voice, with a free use of plain English w^ords of 
Saxon origin ; nothing of the Irish brogue, but much of 
the fire which, as he felt himself, he failed not to impart 
to others who gave him audience, until the bond became 



INDIANA METHODISM. 113 

SO strong between the speaker and hearer, that both were 
carried along with the force and beauty of the subject 
before them. He w\as called a topical preacher; and be- 
fore a promiscuous congregation, his memory, his imag- 
ination and tact, enabled him to conduct a controversy 
with great ingenuity, for success to any cause he es- 
poused. As a man and a minister, he attached personal 
friends, who liberally sustained his enterprises, and 
boldly defended his measures. Ha^dng been presiding 
elder over all the state of Indiana, from the Ohio to the 
Lakes, he was a herald of the Gospel whom Grod owned 
and blessed; and his untiring industry and influence, 
devoted as they Avere entirely to the organization of the 
Church in the new settlements, place him on the page of 
our history as the leading evangelist. In order of time 
the societies were formed: first, at Door Village; second, 
at Laporte; third. Union Chapel; fourth, Michigan City. 
At all these there w^ere societies and stated worship be- 
fore the year 1837. The first meeting-house w^as at Door 
Village ; the second, at Laporte ; the third. Union Chapel; 
and the fourth, Michigan City; and from these there 
branched off societies in every direction." (Sketches by 
A. Wood.) 

Elkhart Circuit was organized in the year 1836. S. 
H. Ball was the preacher. The first quarterly-meeting 
was held in the village of Goshen, January 9, 1836. 
The following were the preaching-places, as entered on 
the steward's book : Elkhart, Conley's, Warner's, Shel- 
ley's, Goshen, Gormell's, Elkhart Prairie, Wood's, Haw- 
patch, Burton s. Little Elkhart, Shaky Creek, Cross's, and 
White Plains. 

In October, 1835, the Indiana Conference met in 
Lafayette. At this Conference twenty-three preachers 
were admitted on trial. There were sixty-five pastoral 

8 



114 INDIANA METHODISM, 

charges, divided into seven presiding elder's districts, as 
follows : 

Madison — A. Wiley, Presiding Elder. 
Charlestown — C. W. Ruter, Presiding Elder. 
Bloomington — Joseph Oglesbj, Presiding Elder. 
Vincennes — A. Wood, Presiding Elder. 
Chmiofoj'dsville — J. L. Thompson, Presiding Elder. 
Laporte — Richard Hargrave, Presiding Elder. 

Of the sixtj^-five pastoral charges, nine were sta- 
tions, namely: Madison, New Albany, Jeffersonville, In- 
dianapolis, Bloomington, Vincennes, Terre Haute, and 
Craw^fordsville. Six of the charges were missions, 
namely: Otter-creek, in Vincennes District; Cole-creek 
and Lebanon, in Crawfordsville District; and Fort Wayne 
and Deep-river Missions, in Laporte District. 

Edward R. Ames, was agent for the Preachers' Aid 
Society, which originated as follows : 

At the Conference in New Albany, in 1832, it was 
announced that Colonel James Paxton, of Indianapolis, 
deceased, had bequeathed a portion of his property to 
the Methodist Episcopal Church in the state of Indiana, 
" to be employed in extending the work of the Lord in 
the bounds of the state of Indiana, helping the most 
needy preachers belonging to that Church, whether effect- 
ive or superannuated." James Armstrong was appointed 
an agent on behalf of the Conference to receive the same. 
Allen Wiley was also appointed an agent on behalf of 
the Conference to receive a similar bequest for the same 
purpose, made by Samuel Swearingin. These, with one 
or two other small bequests, laid the foundation of the 
Preachers' Aid Society of the Indiana Conference — the 
Society having been properly chartered by an act of the 
Legislature. With a view to increase its funds, in 1835, 
E. R. Ames Avas appointed its agent. 

In October, 1836, the Indiana Conference held its 




.u.Dag.^^^' 



ONE OF Tilt: EISHOT'.S 0, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 115 

session in Indianapolis, Bishop Eoberts presiding. At 
this Conference, Indiana Asbury University was located 
at Greencastle. The Conference, having determined, for 
reasons that are stated at length under the head of "Ed- 
ucational Institutions," etc., to establish an institution 
of high grade under the authority of the Church, did, 
in 1835, agree upon a plan for founding a university. 
Subscriptions were taken up, and proposals made from 
different points in the state, with a view of securing a 
location for the university. Lafayette, Rockville, Green- 
castle, Putnamville, and Indianapolis were the principal 
competitors. After receiving proposals, and hearing the 
representations from different points, the Conference, at 
its session in Indianapolis in 1836, located the insti- 
tution at Greencastle. At this Conference twenty-four 
preachers were received on trial, ninety preachers were 
appointed to pastoral charges, and two to agencies. E. 
H. Ames was continued in the agency of the Preachers' 
Aid Society, and John C. Smith agent for the uni- 
versity. 

During this Conference year, in the Summer of 1837, 
there was a memorable camp-meeting held in the bounds 
of Rushville Circuit, in what is now the southern edge 
of Knightstown, on the ground of Mr. LoAvry. The at- 
tendance was large for that day. F. C. Holliday, then 
quite a young man, was in charge of the circuit. He 
had secured the attendance of a strong ministerial force, 
among whom Avere James Havens, E. R. Ames, J. C. 
Smith, Elijah Whitten, Robert Burns, C. B. Jones, 
Augustus Eddy, and an array of efficient workers of less 
note. The religious interest of the meeting was ex- 
cellent from the first. Mrs. Richmond, from Indian- 
apolis, by her remarkable singing, her fervent prayers 
and exhortations, added much to the interest of the 



116 INDIANA METHODISM. 

meeting. On Sunday night, just after the lamps had 
been lit, and the audience called together for public 
worship, there burst suddenly on the encampment one 
of those fearful tornadoes Avith which our country is 
occasionally visited. In an instant every light was ex- 
tinguished, and the audience left in perfect darkness, 
save when it was relieved by the flash of the lightning. 
The wind leveled a track through the forest, just across 
one end of the encampment, as effectually as a moAver 
cuts the grass with his scythe. The audience had been 
gathered just out of the track of the tornado. A beech- 
tree of considerable size, within the circle of tents, was 
bloAvn down right toward the altar, which was covered 
with a frame shed. Large numbers were knocked down, 
either by the force of the wind or the branches of the 
tree, but no one was hurt. Two men, who were stand- 
ing under the tree, fell in the hole where the tree had 
stood ; a falling tree knocked a tent over them, that was 
just in the rear of where they stood, and yet they were 
rescued without a scratch. One entire row of tents was 
prostrated by the falling timber, and yet not a single in- 
mate hurt. A large tree-top was broken off, and lodged 
right over a tent crowded with people. So numerous 
and marvelous were the escapes, that they made a pro- 
found impression upon the minds of the people. The 
work of God broke out with increasing power on Mon- 
day, and many, doubtless, OAved their awakening to the 
incidents of the tornado. 

An amusing fact, worth relating, occurred in connec- 
tion Avith the visit of Ames and Smith to this camp- 
meeting. Smith was agent for the college, and Ames for 
the Preachers' Aid Society. They left Rushville in com- 
pany, en Isolde for the camp-meeting. They had pro- 
cured the names of a number of av ell-to-do farmers, upon 



INDIANA METHODISM. 117 

whom they proposed to call, on behalf of their respective 
agencies, on their way to the camp-meeting, each alter- 
nately having the right, according to private agreement, 
to make the first application. 

Their first call was on a Pennsylvania German, resid- 
ing near the village of Burlington. Smith made the first 
presentation of his cause, showing the advantages of ed- 
ucation, and the importance, both to the Church and 
State, of founding a Christian university. The old gen- 
tleman heard him patiently through, and then informed 
him that he did not believe in college learning. In his 
opinion it made young men proud and lazy ; and being 
unwilling to work, they would live by cheating their 
neighbors. Upon the whole, he regarded colleges as 
rather dangerous institutions, and would give nothing 
toward founding a college in Indiana. Smith having 
failed to secure a donation to his enterprise, it was Ames's 
turn to present his cause. He informed the old gentle- 
man that he was an agent for a very different object; that 
the preachers, who had planted Churches all through our 
country, and were really laying the foundations of our 
Christian civilization, giving security to our homes, and 
increased value to our property, as well as leading sin- 
ners to God, and carrying the consolations of religion to 
the sorrowing and afflicted, were generally poor men. 
Their severe labors and exposures either brought them to 
early graves, leaving their families unprovided for, or left 
tbem, in the evening of life, so broken down in health as 
to be unable, by their personal exertions, to secure an 
adequate support; that the Church and the country 
owed these men and their families a debt of gratitude 
that could never be fully paid; that he was agent for a 
Society called " The Preachers' Aid Society of the Meth- 
odist Church," the object of which was to raise a fund to 



118 INDIANA METHODISM. 

aid in supporting the broken-down or worn-out preachers 
and their families, and of aiding such as did not get a 
support from their circuits. The old man listened attent- 
ively, and w^hen Mr. Ames was done, he said, '^1 be- 
lieves in your agency." Mr. Ames explained to him that 
ten dollars would constitute a person a life member of the 
Society. Said he, " I takes three life memberships in 
the Society — one for myself, one for my wife, and one for 
my daughter." He gave his notes, payable in a short 
time; and when the preacher came around, he requested 
that preaching be removed to his house, because it w^as 
larger; " and," said he, " I want you to put my name and 
my Avife's name and my daughter's name on the class- 
book ; for I bought three life memberships in the Church, 
of Mr. Ames, and we all want to belong to Church !" Of 
course their names were put on the class-paper. The old 
gentleman paid his notes in due t'ime, and, what is better, 
he and his wife and daughter made good life members in 
the Church. 

In October, 1837, the Indiana Conference met in New 
Albany, Bishop Soule presiding. There were reported 
to this Conference, 31,058 members in the Church in In- 
diana, being an increase, during the year, of 3,138. 
There were seventy-nine pastoral charges, divided into 
eight presiding elders' districts, to wit : 

Madison District — E. Gr. Wood, Presiding Elder. 

Charlestown District — C. W. Euter, Presiding Elder. 
Indianapolis District — Augustus Eddy, Presiding Elder. 
Bloomington District — Henry Talbott, Presiding Elder. 

Vincenjies District — John Miller, Presiding Elder. 

Ch'awfordsville District — Allen Wiley, Presiding Elder. 
Laporte District — Richard Hargrave, Presiding Elder. 

Centerville District — David Stiver, Presiding Elder. 

E. R. Ames was transferred to Missouri Conference, 
and stationed in St. Louis. William M. Daily and John 



INDIANA METHODISM. 119 

A. Brouse were appointed agents for Indiana Asbmy 
University, and James Havens agent for the Preachers' 
Aid Society. Ames had a severe attack of fever in St. 
Louis, and at the end of the Conference year was trans- 
ferred back to Indiana Conference, and the ensuing year 
was stationed in Madison, Indiana. Wiley remained but 
one year on Crawfordsville District, his health having 
suffered very seriously ; and at the ensuing Conference, 
he was stationed in Indianapolis. Most of the preachers 
from the eastern part of the state had gone to the Confer- 
ence, in New Albany, in 1837, by the way of the Ohio 
River. In returning from the Conference, there were 
some forty or fifty preachers on board the mail-boat. Gen- 
eral Pike, bound from Louisville to Cincinnati, among 
whom was Bishop Soule. 

The "Fall races" had by that time just closed at 
Louisville, and a large number of sporting gentlemen, 
vulgarly called gamblers, were on the boat, bound for 
Cincinnati and other points along the river. The boat 
left the wharf at Louisville a little before noon. As soon 
as dinner was over, the gamblers took possession of the 
gentlemen's cabin, which was soon lined with card-tables, 
plentifully supplied with cards and liquor; and a scene of 
proffinity and drunkenness began, that Avas remarkable 
for a steam-boat, even in that day. It seemed as though 
the lower regions had emptied some of their worst speci- 
mens into that company. Bacchanalian songs and coarse 
jests, interspersed with a great deal of profanity, filled 
the entire room. The bishop became excited ; he arose, 
and walked from one end of the cabin to the other, 
closely surveying the scene. It was one of the cases in. 
which open reproof would have caused strife, and per- 
haps led to serious results. Speaking in a loud voice, 
that all the preachers might hear him, the bishop said, 



120 INDIANA METHODISM. 

" Brethren, can not we sing too ? " The preachers gathered 
together in a group, and commenced singing lustily: 

"Jesus, the name high over all, 

In hell, or earth, or sky ; 

Angels and men before it fall, 

And devils fear and fly." 

The gamblers paused, listened, and looked astonished. 
One by one, they began to leave the card-tables, and re- 
tire to their state-rooms, or get out on the deck of the 
boat; and by the time the preachers had sung two or 
three hymns, there was not a pack of cards to be seen 
anywhere about; the card-tables were shoved back, and 
cards and brandy-bottles and gamblers had all disap- 
peared; and, during the afternoon and evening, the com- 
pany, though large, was as quiet and agreeable as any 
one could have desired. 

George Randle located in 1831. He was an English- 
man by birth. Came to this country as a preacher. In 
1829, he had traveled Madison Circuit, and, in 1830, 
Yevay Circuit. Having married a Miss Eubank, con- 
trary to the wishes of her friends, and the alienation 
increasing, rather than being cured, after the marriage, 
her father's friends, thinking that the Conference dealt 
too leniently with Mr. Randle, Avithdrew from the 
Church Avith the "Radical Secession," as it was called, 
and took two societies in the north part of Dearborn 
County, including two stone churches, the titles to 
which had not been properly vested in the Church. 
The Conference located Mr. Randle in 1831, and in the 
unfortunate trouble neither of the parties, seemed to be 
satisfied with the action of the Church — doubtless be- 
cause they were impelled in their actions by passion, 
that was not shared by those who were called to pass 
judgment in their case. Mr. Rahdle settled in the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 121 

southern part of Dearborn County, accumulated a fine 
property, and raised a large and respectable family. He 
left the Church shortly after his location, and never 
reunited with it, although his fixmily belonged to the 
Church, and he attended its ministry. 

In 1833, John A. Decker and Wm. Evans located. 

In 1834, Samuel Brenton, Eli P. Farmer, Asa Beck, 
and James Scott located. Samuel Brenton will be no- 
ticed more especially in connection with the Methodist 
educators in Indiana. Eli P. Farmer traveled a num- 
ber of years in the Indiana Conference, either as a sup- 
ply, under the employment of a presiding elder, or as a 
member of the Conference. He was an earnest and 
ready talker, but a rough, uncultured man. After his 
location he withdrew from the Church, but continued to 
preach. 

Asa Beck was for many years a laborious circuit 
preacher, and, owing to feeble health, sometimes super- 
numerary, sometimes superannuated, sometimes effective, 
and sometimes located; but in whatever relation he sus- 
tained to the Church, he maintained the true character 
of a Christian minister. 

James Scott was a man of marked individuality. 
He was a man of small stature, quick in all his move- 
ments, well read in dogmatic theology, rather fond of 
controversy in his earlier days. He had a keen, incis- 
ive mind, that could cut a knotty question right through 
the core. And when he had closed a conclusive argu- 
ment with one of his peculiarly culminating sentences, 
he would pause and look keenly at his hearers, while 
his countenance wore a self-satisfied expression — as much 
as to say, "Do you see the force of that?" And, if 
they were intelligent hearers, they generally did see the 
force of it. 



122 INDIANA METHODISM. 

In 1835, Thomas S. Hitt and Isaac K Ellsbuiy lo- 
cated. They were both of them good men and true^ 
eminently useful as itinerants ; and their usefulness con- 
tinued after their location. 

In 1836, there were seven locations, namely: L. D. 
Smith, John I. Johnson, Hobert Burns, Joseph Oglesby, 
Zachariah Gaines, Wm. D. Watson, and James Y. Wat- 
son. Three of these, Burns, Oglesby, and James V. 
Watson, were well known throughout the state. Robert 
Burns was a zealous and successful preacher, and, al- 
though never occupying what might be regarded as the 
more prominent appointments, he was eminently useful. 
Oglesby entered the itinerancy in the old Western Con- 
ference, before the organization of the work in Missouri, 
Illinois or Indiana. He traveled for many years, and 
did a great deal of hard frontier work. He studied 
medicine, and had some skill as a practitioner. He 
served awhile as presiding elder. In doctrine he was 
supposed to lean toward Pelagianism. He located be- 
cause of some reflections upon his opinions or his utter- 
ances by the Conference; but, in view of his long and 
faithful services, and of his undoubted Christian char- 
acter, in a few years the Conference placed his name on 
the superannuated list, where it remained till the close 
of his life. James V. Watson located in consequence 
of ill-health, but re-entered the Conference again, and, 
at its session in Lawrenceburg, in 1839, was sent to 
White Pigeon, in Michigan — one district of the Indiana 
Conference being included in the territory of Michigan. 
When the appointment was read out, Watson sprang 
up on a bench and called out, "Where is White Pigeon? 
Who can tell me any thing about my White Pigeon ?" 
It was a name he had never heard, and of its location 
he knew nothing. But Watson found his White Pigeon, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 123 

and lived to make an impression upon the Church that 
will not soon be forgotten. He founded a paper, by his 
own exertions, that grew into the North-to est ern Chris- 
tian Advocate, of which he was the popular and talented 
editor at the time of his death. Watson was the victim 
of asthma for many years, and was a great sufferer; but 
he accomplished what few men of robust health would 
have thought possible. He was a close student, a re- 
markably eloquent preacher, and a forcible and per- 
spicuous writer. Besides editing the North-western, he 
was the author of a book of sketches and essays, called 
"Tales and Takings," and a work on "Revivals of Re- 
ligion." He participated in two sessions -of the General 
Conference. 

At the session of the Conference in New Albany, in 
1837, William H. Goode was appointed principal of New 
Albany Seminary. That Avas the first literary institu- 
tion under the care of the Indiana Conference, and Will- 
iam H. Goode was our pioneer educator. In the month 
of May, 1837, Mr. Goode was elected principal of New 
Albany Seminary, upon the resignation of Philander Ru- 
ter, A. M. By the act of the presiding elder. Rev. C. 
W. Ruter, Avho was also President of the Board of Trust- 
ees, Mr. Goode was authorized to accept, his place being 
supplied on Lexington Circuit. The Seminary was in a 
flourishing condition, with about two hundred students, 
two male and two female teachers, and had comfortable 
buildings, for that day, though somewhat embarrassed by 
debt. In addition to the charge of the Seminary, Mr. 
Goode was expected to labor jointly with the pastor in 
New Albany Station. Near the close of the Conference 
year, Mr. Goode resigned the charge of the Seminary, 
that he might re-enter the pastoral work; and was suc- 
ceeded in the Seminary by George Harrison, A. M., who 



124 INDIANA METHODISM. 

continued in charge of the Seminary for several years. 
The entire charge of the station devolved on Mr, Goode, 
after his resignation of the charge of the Seminary, until 
the ensuing Conference. 

Among the founders of this early institution were the 
names of Ruter, AViley, Sinex, Leonard, Brown, Downey, 
Eobison, Evans, Stoy, Childs, Conner, and Seabrook. It 
was an early, earnest, and, in itself, a successful effort; 
though, like most of our early enterprises, in the absence 
of precedents and experience, some errors were commit- 
ted which proved fatal to its continuance. Still, it ac- 
complished great good, and is now represented in the act- 
ive departments of life by many men and women, in New 
Albany and elsewhere, that are ornaments to the Church. 
One single class of six boys gave to the Church the 
names of Charles Downey, John W. Locke, Thomas H. 
Sinex, and George B. Jocelyn. The germ of educational 
enterprise thus early developed ha^ never been lost, but 
has culminated in the present highly prosperous condition 
of our educational work, not only in New Albany, but 
throuorhout the state. 

In October, 1838, the Indiana Conference held its 
session in Rockville. Among the appointments made 
at this Conference, are : Indiana Asbury University — 
C. Nutt, J. W. Weakley, Professors; Samuel C, Cooper 
and Zachariah Gaines, Agents. At this Conference, L. D. 
Smith, Boyd Phelps, Stephen B. Ball, Henry Van 
Order, and William B. Boss were granted locations. 
They were efficient preachers ; but while some were com- 
pelled to retire for the want of an adequate support, and 
others from impaired health, God raised up others to take 
their places, and to meet the demands of the rapidly ex- 
tending work. Thirty-two young men were admitted on 
trial at this Conference. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 125 

The sessions of those early conferences were not only 
seasons of great interest to the preachers, but the jour- 
ney to and from the conference was, to many of them, 
an important affair. The whole state being in one con- 
ference, and the chief mode of travel being by horse- 
back, it of course took a number of days to make the 
journey from the more remote portions of the state. 

At the session of the Conference in Eockville, in 
1838, the preachers along the Ohio River had to go clear 
across the state on horseback. Enoch G. Wood, who 
was then presiding elder on Madison District, and F. C. 
Holliday, who was stationed in Rising Sun, made the 
journey to Conference in company, from Indianapolis. 
Wood came from Madison to Indianapolis, and Holliday 
went from Rising Sun to Brookville, in one day; the 
next day, to Centerville ; the next, to Knightstown; and 
the next, to Indianapolis. Wood and Holliday started 
from Indianapolis on Saturday morning, and reached Dan- 
ville, in Hendricks County, for dinner, where Wood was 
taken unwell, and they remained over until Monday, 
Holliday preaching twice in the court-house on Sunday. 
Resuming their journey on Monday morning, they 
reached Greencastle for dinner. 

Late in the afternoon, having traveled some distance 
without seeing a house, and coming across a double log- 
cabin, and fearing that it might be their only chance, 
they applied for entertainment for the night. The good 
woman said her husband was absent to mill, but would 
be home by dark, and they could stay. During the 
night there was a tremendous racket in the door-yard, 
and a severe contest Avith the farmer's dog, assisted by 
his master, and what the preachers supposed was some 
wild animal. They thought of going out and seeing 
what was the matter, but not being called by the man 



126 INDIANA METHODISM. 

of. the house, and, withal, being tired from their journey, 
they concluded not to turn out. In the morning the 
man of the house expressed regret at_ the disturbance 
during the night, and feared that their slumbers had 
been interrupted. Upon inquiry it was ascertained that 
a large bear had got into the yard, had climbed into the 
hog-pen, and was trying to carry off one of the hogs. 
With the help of his dog, the man had saved his hogs, 
but the bear had escaped. The preachers regretted 
deeply that they had not been called to his assistance, 
as the capture of a bear on the way to Conference would 
have been a romantic incident. 

In 1839, the Indiana Conference met in Lawrence- 
burg, Bishop Uoberts presiding, assisted during a part 
of the session by Bishop Morris. 

In October, 1840, the Indiana Conference met in In- 
dianapolis, Bishop Soule presiding. The Conference 
now numbered one hundred and fifty-three traveling 
preachers, four hundred and eighteen local preachers, 
and included 52,626 communicants ; being an increase 
in the membership during the year of 9,116 members. 

This year our first German mission was established 
in Indiana, called Indiana German Mission, and John 
Kisling and M. J. Hofer were the missionaries. It is 
interesting to trace the progress of the Church from 
small beginnings to respectable proportions, not only in 
numbers, but to note its progress in liberality. We take 
the contributions to the missionary cause as an example. 
In 1835, the contributions for missions ^amounted to 
$528.50; in 1840, to $1,474.92. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 127 



CHAPTER YII. 

From 1841 to 1856 — Indiana Conference in 1841 — George K. Hester — 
Thomas Gunu — Isaac Kelso — Indiana Conference in 1842 — E. W. 
Sehon and Edmund S. Janes address the Conference — Indiana 
Conference in T843 — General Conference in 1844 — Indiana Dele- 
gates — Indiana Conference divided into two Conferences — Indiana 
Conference in 1844 — John A. Decker — Ebenezer Patrick — North 
Indiana Conference in 1840 — Peter R. Guthrie and Daniel S. Elder — 
Growth of Methodism from 1832 to 1843 — Division of the State 
into four Conferences — Benjamin T. Griffith — Waller Prescott — 
James E. Tiffany — Wm. C. Hensley — Francis F. Sheldon — Emmons 
Rutledge — Isaac Crawford — Hosier J. Durbin — Isaac Owen — His 
Life and Labors — Calvin W. Ruter — His Character and Services — 
James Jones — Seth Smith — Geo. M. Beswick — John H. Bruce — 
Statistics for 1856 — The early Circuit System — Results of relin- 
quishing Week-day Preaching — Effect of Building Churches too 
close together in the Country. 

IN 1841, the Indiana Conference held its session in 
Terre Haute. Twenty-five young men were admitted 
on trial, and three located, namely : George K. Hester, 
Thomas Gunn, and Isaac Kelso. George K. Hester, be- 
sides giving a number of the best years of his life to 
the itinerancy, has given three talented and educated 
sons to the same work, namely: F. A. Hester, Wm. 
M'K. Hester, and Milton Addison Hester — the latter of 
whom fell a victim to the cholera while stationed in St. 
Louis, in 1850. Thomas Gunn was a faithful minister, 
whose labors were blessed in the building up of the 
Church; but impaired health induced him to ask for 
a location. Isaac Kelso was a man of feeble health, 
and of some eccentricity of character. After his loca- 
tion, he preached some for the Christians, or Campbell- 



128 INDIANA METHODISM. 

ites^ and awhile for the Universalists. He wrote a 
romance called "Danger in the Dark," directed against 
Jesuitism in particular and the Papacy in general. The 
volume was published just as the " Know-Nothings," as 
a political organization, were exerting a great influence 
in the Western States ; and, although there was no con- 
nection between that movement and his book, the former 
helped to sell the latter. But in a short time both the 
author and the book seemed to be forgotten. 

In October, 1842, the Indiana Conference held its 
session in Centerville, Wayne County. Thirty-one 
preachers were admitted on trial. E. W. Sehon and 
Edmund S. Janes visited this Conference as secretaries 
of the American Bible Society. They each had a high 
reputation, both as able preachers and eloquent platform 
speakers, and both addressed the Conference on the 
claims of the Bible cause. Sehon made the first ad- 
dress, and fairly captivated the congregation with his 
eloquence. When Mr. Janes arose to follow him, after 
a few very pertinent introductory remarks, he seemed 
to become strangely embarrassed, and, after struggling 
along for a few minutes, he paused, and, looking over the 
congregation, said: "Brethren, my position to-day re- 
minds me of an incident in connection Avith one of Na- 
poleon's generals at the battle of Waterloo. One general 
accosted another, who, all pale with fear, was, neverthe- 
less, rallying his troops, with the remark : ^ General, you 
are scared!' ^Yes,' said he, ^I know I am scared; and 
if you were half as badly scared as I am^ you would 
run; but I mean to stand and fight it out.' I am 
scared," said Mr. Janes, "but I mean to make a speech." 
That broke the spell; and Mr. Janes made such a 
speech, both for argument and eloquence, as but few 
men could deliver. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 129 

In October, 1843, the Conference held its session in 
Crawfordsville, Bishop Andrew presiding. Thirty-one 
preachers were admitted on trial, and two located; 
namely, Thomas Spillman and John Richey. 

In May, 1844, the General Conference convened in 
the city of New York. The delegates from Indiana Con- 
ference were : Matthew Simpson, Allen Wiley, E. E. 
Ames, John Miller, C. W. Knter, Aaron Wood, Augustus 
Eddy, and James Havens. At this General Conference 
the state of Indiana Avas divided into two conferences — 
that part of the state lying south of the National Uoad 
retaining the name of Indiana Conference, and that part 
of the state lying north of the National Road was called 
North Indiana Conference. The Indiana Conference 
held its session in Bloomington, October, 1844, and 
North Indiana Conference held its session the same Fall 
in Fort Wayne. 

The Indiana Conference contained, as reported at its 
session in Bloomington, October, 1844, traveling preach- 
ers, 105, and 35,971 members. The North Indiana Con- 
ference included 101 traveling preachers, and 27,563 
members. In Indiana Conference, two members had died : 
John A. Decker and Ebenezer Patrick. Decker was a 
native of Tennessee ] came to Indiana with his parents 
when a boy, and was converted at the age of eighteen. 
He was licensed to preach in the Fall of 1828, and in 
the Fall of 1829 was received on trial in the Illinois Con- 
ference. From this time he continued to travel until 
the time of his death, with the exception of some five or 
six years, during which, in consequence of impaired 
health, he sustained a local relation. He died on the 
25th of October, 1843. Ebenezer Patrick died on the 
16th of August, 1844. Mr. Patrick was a native of 
Vermont. He was admitted into the Indiana Conference 



130 INDIANA METHODISM, 

in 1835, and continued a faithful and useful minister to 
the close of life. In a fit of delirium, caused by feA^er, 
he seized a razor and cut his own throat. 

September, 1845, the North Indiana Conference held 
its session in Lafayette. Burroughs Westlake and,Zach- 
ariah Gaines had died during the year. Westlake was a 
man of ability. He w^as received into the Ohio Confer- 
ence in 1814. The last nine years of his ministry w^ere 
spent in Indiana. Mr. Gaines was a native of Virginia. 
He was admitted into the Ohio Conference in 1832, and 
the same year transferred to Indiana. In 1836, under 
the pressure of pecuniary embarrassment, he located; 
but in 1838, he re-entered the itinerancy, where he la- 
bored till the close of life. 

In October, 1845, the Indiana Conference held its 
session in the city of Madison. Peter H. Guthrie and 
Daniel S. Elder had died during the year. They were 
both of them young men of ability and promise. Mr. 
Guthrie entered the ministry in 1839, and Mr. Elder in 
1840. Their ministerial career was brief, yet they gath- 
ered not a few sheaves for the heavenly garner, and fin- 
ished their course with joy ; witnessing a good confession 
in death, as they had done in life. 

The growth of the Church was constant from 1832 
to 1843, having increased in that time from 20,035 to 
67,976; and from 1838 to 1843 its increase was almost 
unparalleled, being, in five years, 32,716. 

In 1852, the state was divided into four Conferences, 
called Indiana, South-eastern Indiana, North Indiana, and 
North-west Indiana Conferences. The numbers for that 
year stood as follows: Indiana Conference, 25,412 mem- 
• bers, and 84 traveling preachers; North Indiana Confer- 
ence, 16,747 members, and 72 traveling preachers; 
North-west Indiana Conference, 19^729 members, and 78 



INDIANA METHODISM. 131 

traveling preachers; South-eastern Indiana Conference, 
19,367 members, and 100 traveling preachers, — all of the 
German work in the state being included in the South- 
eastern Indiana Conference ; the German work compris- 
ing two entire districts, called, respectively. South Indi- 
ana District, and North Indiana District. George A. 
Breunig was presiding elder on South Indiana District, 
and John Kisling on North Indiana District; and the 
German membership amounted to 2,061. 

In 1849, South-eastern Indiana Conference suffered 
the loss of three of its members by death : Benjamin T. 
Griffith, Walter Prescott, and James E. Tiffany. Grif- 
fith was a native of Virginia. He united with the 
Church in 1830, and soon commenced preaching. He 
was admitted on trial in the Indiana Conference, in 1831 
or 1832, and labored f^lithfully till the time of his death 
(with the exception of one year, during Avhich he was 
superannuated), which occurred August 30, 1849. 

Walter Prescott was a native of England, the son of 
a Wesley an preacher. He came to America in 1841, and 
connected himself with the Missouri Annual Conference, 
with which he remained until the separation of the 
Southern Conferences from the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Determining to continue in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, he came to Indiana in 1846, and at the 
session of the conference that Fall, he was appointed to 
Jeffersonville. Here he remained two years. He was 
then appointed to Wesley Chapel, in the city of Madison, 
where he labored until the 30th of July, when the Mas- 
ter called him up higher. His death was triumphant. 
When told that he was dying, he replied, " I am glad ; " 
and faintly repeated : 

" Preach him to all, and cry in death, 
Behold, behold the Lamb !" 



132 INDIANA METHODISM. 

He was a superior preacher, and during his brief ca- 
reer made full proof of his ministry. 

James E. Tiffauy was also a native of England, born 
near Huddlesfield, in Yorkshire, that great home and 
hive of Methodism, on the 21st of September, 1820. He 
came to America in 1829. He made a profession of re- 
ligion and united with the Methodist Church in 1839, at 
which time he was a student in Miami University. He 
died of cholera on the 18th of July, 1849. The mid- 
night cry found him with his lamp trimmed and burning. 

In 1850, William C. Hensley, John L. Eagers, Fran- 
cis F. Sheldon, Emmons Rutledge, and Isaac Crawford 
were all gathered to their rest. Hensley had been five 
years in the ministry, and was but twenty-nine years of 
age; yet his ministry had been blessed to the salvation 
of many. Sheldon entered the Conference in 1840, and 
ended his earthly course on the 16th of January, 1850. 
Rutledge was admitted on trial in the Indiana Confer- 
ence in 1837, and continued to labor with efficiency till 
the close of life. He was a useful and faithful minister, 
and had victory in death. 

Isaac Crawford was a native of New York. He came 
to Indiana in 1835, and in 1837 was admitted on trial in- 
to the Indiana Conference, and continued to labor faith- 
fully till the close of life. By his amiability and the 
faithfulness with which he performed his duties, he se- 
cured the confidence and co-operation of the Church, and 
his labors were usually blessed to the upbuilding of the 
Church. 

The same Conference was called, the ensuing year, 
to mourn the loss by death of a young minister of more 
than ordinary ability — Hosier J. Durbin — who, at the 
time of his death, was agent for the American Bible 
Society. August 11, 1851, he left' Greensburg, for his 



INDIANA METHODISM. 133 

residence in Madison, designing to take the cars at Ver- 
non; and, although there was the prospect of a severe 
storm, yet he could not be prevailed on to delay his 
journey. When a few miles south of Greensburg, the 
storm increased in violence, and when entering a wood, 
he hesitated a moment as to whether he should proceed, 
and, as he was in the act of turning back, a limb fell 
upon him, causing the injury which resulted in his death, 
on the ensuing Friday; he having received the injury on 
Monday. He was licensed to preach, August 26, 1833. 
In the Fall of 1835, he Avas admitted on trial in the 
Indiana Conference, and appointed to Vevay Circuit, 
with James Jones as preacher in charge. At the end 
of the year, Mr. Durbin desisted from traveling, and, 
until 1842, devoted himself to secular pursuits. In 
1840, he was a representative in the State Legislature, 
from Switzerland County. In 1842, he again united 
with the Conference, and Avas appointed to Vevay. His 
subsequent appointments were : Jeffersonville, Canaan, 
Rising Sun, Connersville. In 1849, he accepted the 
agency for the American Bible Society for the southern 
half of the state of Indiana; in Avhich agency he was 
laboring with great efficiency at the time of his death. 
He was an able preacher, an amiable man, and respected 
and beloved in all the relations of life. 

Rev. Isaac Owen. — The life of Isaac Owen is full 
of instruction. He was a native of Vermont, but came, 
with his parents, to the territory of Indiana, in 1811. 
He said : "When I was a boy, we lived in the woods in 
Knox County. Grist-mills were few and far between. 
In order to get meal to make our bread, we had to pound 
the corn in a hominy-mortar, with a pestle. In the 
Winter season, sometimes having no shoes, I was driven 
to the expedient of heating blocks of wood to stand 



134 INDIANA METHODISM. 

upon, in order to keep my feet from the frozen ground, 
while I pounded the corn to make meal for our bread." 
His father died in 1824. And yet this boy of the back- 
woods, fatherless and poor, secured a good education, 
attained to eminence as a preacher of the Gospel, and 
did more to found Asbury University in Indiana, and 
the university in California, than any other man. 

At the age of sixteen, young Owen made a profes- 
sion of religion, and united with the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church; and, in 1834, he was admitted on trial in 
the Indiana Conference, and sent to Otter-creek Mission. 
Although he began the active work of the ministry with 
a very limited education, and an equally limited acquaint- 
ance with theology as a science, yet he prosecuted suc- 
cessfully both his literary and theological studies. As 
soon as he had mastered the grammar of his own lan- 
guage, he took up the study of the Greek, and in a 
short time his Greek Testament became, and continued 
to be, his daily companion. He spent fourteen years in 
the itinerancy in Indiana, four of which were spent as 
financial agent for Indiana Asbury University; and, 
during that time, he raised, by the sale of scholarships, 
over sixty thousand dollars. He was one of the first 
missionaries to California, and had the honor of preach- 
ing, if not the first, among the first, Methodist sermons 
preached in California. He was the first presiding elder 
ever appointed in California. Much of Mr. Owens's 
work was that of a pioneer, and few men were better 
fitted for such work. His ministry extended through 
a period of thirty -two years ; and in that time he 
accomplished much for the cause of his Master. As 
college agent, he not only secured funds for the insti- 
tution, but he explained to poor young men how they 
could obtain an education. There are many men in 



INDIANA METHODISM. 135 

useful and honorable positions, who owe their success 
to the encouragement they received from Isaac Owen. 

Rev. Calvin W. Ruter was among the pioneers of In- 
diana Methodism. He entered the ministry in the old 
Ohio Conference in 1818. In the Fall of 1820, he wns 
admitted into fall connection, ordained deacon, and 
transferred to Missouri Conference, and appointed to 
the charge of Silver-creek Circuit. This was his first 
introduction to the work in Indiana — a work with which 
he was to be henceforth identified till the day of his 
death. Mr. Ruter filled the most important appoint- 
ments in his Conference through the whole course of his 
ministry. He w\as for many years the secretary of his 
Conference, and represented it in several sessions of the 
General Conference. He Avas a man of fine personal 
presence, dignified and courteous in his bearing. He 
was an excellent presiding elder, and always popular as 
a stationed preacher. Impaired health compelled him, 
on several occasions, to take a supernumerary or a super- 
annuated relation to his Conference. He was post- 
master at New Albany for four years, during the admin- 
istration of James K. Polk ; and, at a later period, was 
Register of the United States Land-office at Indian- 
apolis for four years. But he never compromised his 
Christian or ministerial character. He died in Switzer- 
land County, in 1859. 

Rev. James Jones was a pioneer and hero of early 
Methodism in the West. He was a native of England, 
and came to the United States in 1803. In August, 
1817, he was licensed to preach by Rev. Moses Crume, 
Presiding Elder in Ohio Conference. He removed the 
same year to Indiana, and settled in Rising Sun, where a 
small class of Methodists had been organized a few years 
previously, by John Strange. Here he lived and labored 



136 INDIANA METHODISM. 

as a local preacher till 1820, when he was admitted on 
trial in the Ohio Annual Conference, and appointed in 
charge of Whitewater Circuit. After traveling six years, 
he located, and continued to labor in a local relation until 
1834, when he was readmitted into the traveling con- 
nection in the Indiana Conference, with which he retained 
his connection until the time of his death, which occurred 
on the 7th of November, 1856. He had been attacked 
by a stroke of paralysis while holding a protracted meet- 
ing in 1848, from which he but partially recovered; yet, 
unwilling to leave the work, he sustained an effective re- 
lation until the Fall of 1851, when he reluctantly con- 
sented to a superannuated relation, which he sustained 
until called to his heavenly rest. He was a man of true 
courage, of indomitable resolution, great perseverance and 
promptness in filling all of his appointments. He was a 
man of much prayer and of extraordinary faith. While 
a local preacher, it was his habit for several years to 
spend his Winters in New Orleans; and his labors were 
greatly blessed, on several occasions, in promoting reviv- 
als of religion in that city. He was bold in reproving 
vice. His sympathies were tender as a woman's, and his 
zeal for the Master's cause was a flame that burned to 
the close of life. 

Rev. Seth Smith died in October, 1843. He had 
been fifteen years in the ministry, having united with the 
conference in 1838. The whole of his ministerial life 
was spent in Indiana. His last appointment was Milton 
"Circuit, in Wayne County. He was blessed with several 
•extensive revivals of religion during his ministry. 

In 1853, George M. Beswick closed his ministry. 
Mr. Beswick was licensed to exhort in his sixteenth year, 
and to preach in his eighteenth year ; and at the age of 
itwenty-two he was admitted on trial in the Indiana Con- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 137 

ference, and appointed to Salem Circuit. He traveled 
circuits in different parts of the state until 1838, when 
he was appointed to Logansport District. He subse- 
quently traveled Greencastle, Centerville, and Laf^iyette 
Districts, and filled several other important appointments 
in the Church. He was a member of the General Con- 
ference of 1852. Of him, Hon. E. W. Thompson said: 
" He was a man of immense power. Gentle by nature, 
and accomplished by study and reflection, he bore about 
him, wherever he went, an air of dignity and decorum 
which always excited respect; and whatever he said, was 
uttered with so much propriety and eloquence as to com- 
mand the closest attention. He always interested and 
instructed his hearers, and had no superior in the state." 
At the time of his death he had just been appointed a 
second time to Greencastle District, after an absence of 
eight years. 

John H. Bruce, of the same Conference, died the 
same year. At the age of fifteen he was converted, at a 
camp-meeting, and soon after began to exhort. He was 
admitted on trial in the Indiana Conference in 1836. He 
spent seven years on circuits — one as agent of Ft. Wayne 
College, and the remainder of his ministerial life as pre- 
siding elder. He traveled Logansport and Terre Haute 
Districts. He was a faithful man, and made full proof of 
his ministry. 

The statistics for 1856 were as follows : Indiana 
Conference, 22,702 members, and 103 traveling preach- 
ers; South-eastern Indiana Conference, 19,503 members, 
and 99 traveling preachers; North Indiana Conference, 
20,049 members, and 105 traveling preachers ; North- 
west Indiana Conference, 14,900 members, and 92 travel- 
ing preachers; making a total of 77,154 Church mem- 
bers, and 399 traveling preachers, being an increase in 



138 INDIANA METHODISM. 

the ministry, in four years, of 65, and a decrease in the 
membership of 4,301. 

The relinquishment of week-day preaching involved 
the breaking up of the large circuits, and the abandoning 
of many small societies. Our early circuit system, while 
it was admirably adapted to carry the Gospel to the 
whole people, multiplied preaching-places needlessly, and 
established societies so close together that they must 
necessarily remain feeble. In many instances they Avere 
unwilling to consolidate and unite on some common cen- 
ter of population, Avhere a strong society could be built 
up; and, as a consequence, during this transition period, 
many members were lost to the Church. And it is pos- 
sible that, in some cases, circuits were needlessly reduced, 
and week-day preaching abandoned sooner than it should 
have been. But it is an unwise administration that al- 
lows churches in the country to be built nearer than four 
or five miles of each other. With the facilities for get- 
ting to church, possessed by our firming population, a 
mile or two, more or less, in the distance to church, is no 
object; while, if churches are built closer together, they 
can not, in the very nature of the case, command con- 
gregations of sufficient size to sustain Sabbath preaching, 
without making church expenses burdensome, or failing 
to give the ministry an adequate support. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 139 



CHAPTER Vni. 

Sketch of Samuel C. Cooper — Samuel Brenton — Indiana Conference in 
1857 — George W. Ames — Transfers — Wm. H. Metts — Time of 
holding North Indiana Conference changed — Increase in Member- 
ship in 1857 — North Indiana Conference in 1859 — Joseph R. 
Downey appointed Missionary to India — South-eastern Indiana 
Conference in 1859 — Delegates to General Conference — Indiana 
Conference Delegates — North-west Indiana Conference Delegates — 
Churches in Indiana in i860, from "United States Census Re- 
port" — Methodist Liberality — Allen Wiley — His'Character and La- 
bors — Sessions of the Indiana Conference down to 1850 — Annual 
Increase of Ministers and Members from the organization of the 
Conference to 185 1 — Growth of North Indiana Conference from its 
organization to 1851 — Aggregate Membership in the State in 1850 — 
Number in i860. 

IN 1856, North Indiana lost one of its old and influ- 
ential members, in the person of Samuel C. Cooper, 
who closed his earthly pilgrimage on the 19 th of July, 
1856. Mr. Cooper entered the ministry in 1827. His 
first appointment was to Cash-river Circuit, in the state 
of Illinois. The remainder of his appointments were in 
Indiana. He was for several years an efficient agent 
for Indiana Asbury University. He was twice a dele- 
gate to the General Conference. He was a man of supe- 
rior business talents, and in secular life would probably 
have amassed a fortune; but he gave his undivided 
energy to the Church. His early educational oppor- 
tunities were poor ; but, by reading and observation, he 
became an instructive preacher. He was a fine execu- 
tive officer, and a safe counselor. 

Samuel Brenton, of the same Conference, died on 
the 27th of March, 1857. He was a native of Ken- 



140 INDIANA METHODISM. 

tucky; born in 1810. He entered the ministry in the 
Illinois Conference in 1830, and traveled successively 
Paoli, Crawfordsville, and Bloomington Circuits. In 
1830, his health having failed, he located, and con- 
tinued in a local relation until 1841; during which time 
he studied law, and was admitted to the bar as a prac- 
ticing attorney; in which profession he took immediate 
rank as an able counselor. In 1844, he re-entered the 
itinerancy, and filled important stations, including that 
of presiding elder on Fort Wayne District, down to 
1848; which year he was elected a delegate to the 
General Conference. During this year he had an attack 
of paralysis, by which he lost the use of his right side, 
and was compelled to resign the pastoral work. And 
the same year he was appointed Register of the Land- 
office at Fort Wayne. In 1851, he was elected a rep- 
resentative in Congress from the Tenth Congressional 
District, and served two sessions. In 1853, he was 
elected President of Fort Wayne College, which position 
he filled with efficiency. In 1854, he was again elected 
to Congress, and re-elected in 1856; but death cut short 
his career of honor and usefulness. He was a man of 
superior mental power, and his intellectual achieve- 
ments in his later years, after one-half of his physical 
frame Avas paralyzed, evinced, in a striking manner, the 
triumph of mind over matter. He was a true Christian, 
and whether in the work of the ministry, or engaged as 
a practicing attorney, or as president of a college, or as 
a member of the National Congress, he never laid aside 
his character, nor compromised his Christian profession. 
In October, 1857, Indiana Conference met in New 
Albany, Bishop Morris presiding. At this Conference 
George W. Ames was entered "withdrawn." He had 
been for several years in the ministry, but had not been 



INDIANA METHODISM. 141 

especially successful, and, without any avowed change 
of opinion, but, perhaps, partly from declining health, 
and partly from not being heartily in sympathy with 
ministerial work, he withdrew from the connection. 
Daniel Curry, who had resigned the presidency of In- 
diana Asbury University, was transferred to New York 
East Conference. Benjamin F. Crary, who had been 
elected President of Hamline University, at Red Wing, 
was transferred to Minnesota Conference. Wm. H. 
Metts, of the North Indiana Conference, died at Dub- 
lin, Indiana, January 20, 1857. He had entered the 
ministry in 1853. He Avas a young man of promise, 
and died in the midst of his usefulness. 

In 1856, the North Indiana Conference was changed 
from a Fall to a Spring Conference — its first Spring 
session being held in Marion, April, 1857. 

In April, 1858, North Indiana Conference held its 
session in Winchester. The other Indiana Conferences 
continued to meet in the Fall. The North-west Indiana 
Conference met that Fall in Valparaiso. Indiana Con- 
ference at Mount Vernon, and South-eastern Indiana 
Conference at Columbus. The increase in the member- 
ship during the year had been as follows : North In- 
diana Conference, 339 ; North-west Indiana Conference, 
2,674; Indiana Conference, 3,509; South-eastern Indi- 
ana Conference, 1,599; making a total increase of 8,121. 

In the Spring of 1859, North Indiana Conference 
held its session at Logansport. At this Conference, 
Joseph R. Downey was appointed missionary to India. 
In due time he and his young wife sailed for that dis- 
tant mission field. Downey entered with zeal upon his 
work, but fell an early victim to the climate. But the 
graves of Christian missionaries constitute a bond of 
union between Christian and pagan lands that can never 



142 INDIANA METHODISM. 

be broken, and enlist the sympathies and efforts of the 
Church for the universal subjugation of the world to 
Christ. The dying language of Cox, the early mission- 
ary to Africa, " Though a thousand fall, let not Africa 
be given up," did much toward kindling missionary zeal 
in the Churches at home. 

South-eastern Indiana Conference met in Indian- 
apolis, October, 1859. At this Conference, E. G. Wood, 
F. C. HoUiday, John W. Locke, and John H. Barth 
were elected delegates to the ensuing General Confer- 
ence, w^hich was to meet in Buffalo, in May, 1860. 

The Indiana Conference held its session in Bloom- 
ington, and the delegates elected by the Indiana Confer- 
ence Avere : C. B. Davidson, W. C. Smith, John Kiger, 
and Elias H. Sabin. The delegates from North Indi- 
ana Conference were : Cyrus Nutt, John B. Birt, Jacob 
Colclazer, and Lonson W. Monson. The delegates 
from North-west Indiana Conference were : John L. 
Smith, Jacob M. Stallard, Richard Hargrave, and James 
Johnson. 

According to the United States Census Reports for 
1860, the churches in Indiana stood as follows : 

Baptists — Number of churches, 4Y5; church-sittings, 164,710; value of 
church property, $430,510. 

Baptist (Tunker) — Number of churches, 27 ; church-sittings, 9,900; value 
of church property, $25,350. 

Christian — Number of churches, 347; church-sittings, 125,600; value 
of property, $270,515. 

Congregational — Number of churches, 11; church-sittings, 5,250; value 
of property, $42,600. 

Dutch Reformed — Number of churches, 6; church-sittings, 1,500; value 
of property, $7,850. 

Episcopal — Number of churches, 29; church-sittings, 10,350; value of 
property, $117,800. 

Friends — Number of churches, 93; church- sittings, 41,330; value of 
property, $111,650. 

German Reformed — Number of churches, 9 ; church-sittings, 3,800 ; 
value of property, $26,600. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 143 

Jewish — Number of churches, 2; members, 450; value of property, 
$8,000. 

Lutherans — Number of churches, 150; church-sittings, 46,384; value 
of property, $237,000. 

Moravian — Number of churches, 1 ; church-sittings, 400 ; value of prop- 
erty, $3,500. 

Freshyterian — Number of churches, 275 ; church-sittings, 104,195; value 
of property, $026,435. 

Cumberland Presbyterian — Number of churches, 27; church-sittings, 
11,270; value of property, $32,200. 

llejormed Presbyterian — Number of churches, 8; church-sittings, 3,150; 
value of property, $16,350. 

United Presbyterian — Number of churches, 18; church-sittings, 6,650; 
value of property, $24,300. 

Universalists — Number of churches, 28; church-sittings, 9,130; value 
of property, $37,850. 

Union — Number of churches, 44; church-sittings, 13,022; value of 
property, $35,804. 

Roman Catholics — Number of churches, 127; church-sittings, 57,960; 
value of property, $665,025. 

Methodist — Number of churches, 125; church-sittings, 432,160; value 
of property, $1,345,935. 

Of the 2,933 churches reported in the state, 1,256 
were Methodist churches ; and of the $4,065,274 worth 
of church property in the state, $1,345,935 Avere owned 
by the Methodists. A pretty good showing for a de- 
nomination that has gloried in preaching the Gospel to 
the poor, and that had received no foreign aid in the 
accumulation of its Church property. 

The men who, under God, achieved such success for 
Methodism in Indiana, were, many of them, remarkable 
men. They were men of large views. They planned 
for the future, and out of their scanty means they con- 
tributed liberally to build up the institutions of the 
Church ; and their example, as well as teaching, encour- 
aged liberality on the part of the Church; and while the 
Church, ns a whole, has, perhaps, failed to come up to the 
Bible standard of liberality, yet, when we look at the 
property the Methodist Church has literally created in 



144 INDIANA METHODISM. 

this comparatively new state, and other annual contribu- 
tions for Church purposes, it is evident that the upbraid- 
ings it sometimes receives for penuriousness is unmerited. 
Prominent among those who laid the foundations of 
Methodism in Indiana, and prominent among its most 
successful builders, was Allen Wiley. Mr. Wiley was 
born January 15, 1789, and came to Indiana Territory 
with his parents in 1804. He joined the Church, as a 
seeker of religion, in April, 1810, and in the June follow- 
ing obtained the evidence of personal acceptance with 
God, through faith in Jesus Christ. He was licensed to 
preach in 1813, and entered the traveling connection, De- 
cember 1, 1816. He was ordained a deacon by Bishop 
M'Kendree, in 1818, and an elder by Bishop Eoberts, in 
1820. He spent eleven years of his ministry in travel- 
ing extensive and laborious circuits. He was presiding 
elder during fourteen years, and a part of that time his 
district extended from the Ohio Biver to the vicinity of 
Lake Michigan, including the present cities of Madison 
and Ft. Wayne, and required an amount of energy, sac- 
rifice, and toil, of which it is now difficult to conceive. 
He spent five years as stationed preacher in our larger 
towns. He served as a delegate in the General Confer- 
ences of 1832, 1836, 1840, and 1844. He entered the 
itinerancy as a married man; he raised and educated a 
large family; two of his sons became ministers, and one 
a physician. His early education only included the or- 
dinary branches of an English education, and yet, by 
continuous study, he became a ripe scholar, fiimiliar with 
Latin and Greek literature, and a profound theologian. 
He was an instructive preacher. His sermons were rich 
in thought, and profound in argument. His voice was 
heavy and monotonous; and yet, in the days of his vigor, 
when presiding elder of his large districts, it was no 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



145 



uncommon thing for liim, at camp-meetings, to hold an 
audience of thousands in rapt attention for two hours or 
more, while he discussed some grand theme of theology. 
Mr. Wiley planned wisely for the Church. He aided in 
founding schools ; he organized Bible Societies, and la- 
bored to promote total abstinence from all intoxicating 
drinks; he assisted in securing eligible sites for churches, 
and was one of the founders of Indiana Asbury Univer- 
sity. Mr. Wiley owed his great success to his singleness 
of purpose, his energy, and untiring industry. He 
evinced, perhaps, more statesmanship in his plans than 
any of our early preachers. He continued his habits of 
study to the close of life. Of him, Hon. R. W. Thomp- 
son says : ^' He was unmatched in all those excellences 
of character w^hich fit a man for the society of the angels. 
His clear head, sound judgment, great discretion, and ac- 
knowledged wisdom, made him like one of the fathers in 
Israel. And these characteristics were exhibited in all 
his sermons, which were entirely faultless in style, and 
distinguished by commanding ability." Mr. Wiley ended 
his earthly career at Yevay, Indiana, on Sabbath, July 
23, 1848, in the fifty-ninth year of his age. 

As we have noted elsewhere, Indiana Conference was 
organized in 1832, being set off from the Illinois Confer- 
ence by the General Conference of that year. Its ses- 
sions, down to 1850, were held at the following times 
and places : 



New Albany, October 17, 1832. 
Madison, October IG, 1883. 
Centervllle, October 22, 1834. 
Lafayette, October 14, 183.5. 
Indianapolis, October 2(5, 1836. 
New Albany, October 25, 1837. 
Rockville, October 17, 1838. 
Lawrenceburg, October 23, 1839. 
Indianapolis, October 21, 1840. 
Terre Haute, October 6, 1841. 



Centervllle, October 19, 1842. 
Cra^vfordsviUe, October 18, 1843. 
Blooraington, October 25, 1844. 
Madison, October 8, 1815. 
Connersville, October 7, 1846. 
EvansviUe, October 6, 1847. 
New Albany, October 4, 1848. 
Rising Sun, October 10, 1849. 
Jeffersonville, October 9, 1850. 
Indianapolis, October 8, 1851. 



10 



146 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



The following table shows the annual increase in the 
ministry and the membership, from the organization of 
the Conference, down to the session of 1851, or to the 
close of the first half of the present century : 



Year. 


Members. 


Tniveling 
Pr'chers. 


Local 
Pr'ehers. 


Year. 


Members. 


Traveling 
Pr'ehers. 


Local 
Pr'ch'rs 


1832 


20,035 


65 




1842 


62,942 


192 


473 


1833 


23,617 


71 




1843 


67,219 


216 


488 


1834 


25,213 


73 




1844 


35,686 


110 


285 


1835 


25,476 


92 





1845 


33,673 


112 


305 


1836 


28,000 


99 


333 


1846 


32,530 


119 


309 


1837 


31,058 


120 


351 


1847 


30,745 


122 


309 


1838 


35,258 


139 


366 


1848 


33,262 


121 


290 


1839 


43,953 


161 


412 


1849 


35,481 


137 


290 


1840 


53.033 


167 


418 


1850 


37,798 


148 


290 


1841 


53,381 


177 


459 


1851 


39,271 


159 


302 



In 1844, the Conference was divided into Indiana and 
North Indiana Conferences, by the National Hoad, which 
runs through the center of the state, from east to Avest. 
The following table shows the growth of North Indiana 
Conference, from the time of its organization, down to 
the session of 1851, that being the last session before the 
division of the state into four Conferences: 



Year. 


Members. 


Traveling 
Pr'ehers. 


Local 
Pr'ehers. 


Year. 


Members. 


Traveling 
Pr'ehers. 


Local 
Pr'eh'rs 


1844 
1845 
1846 
1847 


27,343 

27,383 
27,336 
26,302 


105 
110 
114 

120 


220 
222 

267 
258 


1848 
1849 
1850 
1851 


27,337 
28,083 
30,397 
32,234 


120 
134 
149 
170 


282 
269 
279 

288 



From these figures, it appears that the growth of the 
Church was constant from 1832 to 1843 ; and that from 
1838 to 1848, its increase was truly remarkable. From 
1843 to 1847, there Avas a decrease in both of the Confer- 
ences, amounting, in the aggregate, to nearly ten thou- 
sand. This Avas doubtless owing in part to the Avonderful 
ingatherings of the few preceding years, and the result- 
ing diminution of effort on the part' of the Church. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 147 

The aggregate membership in the state, according to 
these figures, including the preachers, was, in 1850, 
72,404. In 1860, the membership was 96,965, being an 
increase, during the decade, of 24,561 



148 INDIANA METHODISM. 



CHAPTEK IX. 

Prosperity of the Church during the Civil War — Increase in Church Prop- 
erty — Loyalty of Indiana Methodists — Remarks on the Origin of 
the War — Election of Mr. Lincoln — Peace Convention — Significance 
of Mr. Lincoln's Election — Bombardment of Fort Sumter — Call for 
Volunteers — Indiana's Response — The PoHtical Value of Methodism 
to the Preservation of the National Life — Remark of Chief Justice 
Chase — Estimate of Methodist Voters in Indiana — Number of 
Methodist Voters in the Loyal States — Moral Compensation of the 
War — Retrospective View of the Church — Early Circuits — Location 
of the Places of Worship — Church Architecture — The Vested Funds 
for Church Purposes in Indiana — Preachers' Aid Societies — Amount 
paid for Ministerial Support — Benevolent Contributions — Methodism 
and Population — Statistics of African Methodist Episcopal Church- 
Methodism among the Germans. 

NOTWITHSTANDING the heavy draft made upon 
the Church, as well as upon the loyal men of the 
country at large, by the terrible rebellion and secession 
of the Slave States, and the consequent civil war that 
ravaged our country from 1861 until the surrender of the 
Confederate armies in 1865, the Church in Indiana con- 
tinued to prosper, and the membership arose from 96,- 
965 in 1860, to 113,800 in 1870. And the increase in 
Church improvements, such as churches, parsonages, and 
school-houses, was even greater than the numerical in- 
crease in the membership. Indiana Methodism contrib- 
uted largely to the suppression of the rebellion. The 
antislavery doctrines of Methodism, that had been re- 
ceived without dilution or adulteration by the most of 
our people, would naturally array them on the side of the 
Government, when the slave power' was putting forth all 



INDIANA METHODISM. 149 

of its efforts for the overthrow of the Government. Loy- 
alty to the civil power, when that power answers the 
ends for which government is instituted, is a religious 
duty; and there were but few Methodist pulpits in Indi- 
ana but what enforced that duty. Methodist ministers 
entered the army as chaplains, and some of them as offi- 
cers and soldiers. The remark of President Lincoln, that 
" the Methodist Church sent more soldiers into the field, 
more nurses to the hospitals, and more prayers to Heaven 
for the preservation of the Union, than any other," was 
as true of Indiana Methodism as of that of any portion 
of the loyal states. The resort to arms on the part of 
the South for the maintenance of slavery,- was both un- 
wise and uncalled for. True, the growing opposition of 
public sentiment in the North to the extension of slavery, 
taken in connection with the division of the Democratic 
party, which division was brought about by those Avho 
soon became leaders in efforts to divide the Union, in- 
sured the election of Mr. Lincoln as a Republican Presi- 
dent in 1860, by a plurality 30,000 larger than elected 
his predecessor. And in the conservative state of Indi- 
ana the vote had changed, from a Republican minority of 
46,681 to a majority of 5,923. But, although a Repub- 
lican President was constitutionally elected, the judicial 
and legislative branches of the Government were in the 
opposition, and would have continued so throughout his 
term of office, so that no offensive measures could have 
passed, and no objectionable Cabinet Ministers be ap- 
pointed. Even Congress, declared its willingness to incor- 
porate into the Constitution a clause utterly prohibiting 
interference with slavery in the states. The loyal States, 
and several of the Slave States, that were as yet hesi- 
tating to assume open rebellion, and were trembling in the 
balance, sent delegates to a Peace Convention, which was 



150 INDIANA METHODISM. 

presided over by ex-President Tyler, who had betrayed 
the party that elected him, and afterward obscured his 
old disgrace by the added crime of treason to his country. 
But their efforts were ineffectual. No honorable 
concessions could satisfy those who had predetermined 
the destruction of the Government. The South under- 
stood better than the North — because it had studied the 
question more thoroughly — the deep significance of Mr. 
Lincoln's election. It was an assurance to them that 
a vitalizing and unifying spirit had moved upon the face 
of the chaos into Avhich the political parties in the North 
had crumbled, and that the power of slavery must break, 
or be broken upon, this new creation. It was an assur- 
ance to them that the power, which had not only filled 
the Presidential chair and courts of law, term after term, 
but had underreached and overreached, misconstrued 
and misapplied the Constitution, must go no further. 
It was an assurance that the proud waves of the bar- 
barism of slavery should roll no further; and here their 
fury should be stayed. All this was better understood 
at the South than in the North. For nearly half a cent- 
ury their public men had used every art known to poli- 
ticians to bring the public into subjection to an oligarchy. 
Society, through the entire social scale, was prepared 
for the rebellion, whenever their leaders should say the 
w^ord. And immediately on the election of Mr. Lincoln 
that word was said. South Carolina, with assumed 
dramatic dignity, announced her determination to secede. 
On the 12th of April, 1861, the telegraph flashed the 
intelligence through the Union of the bonibardment of 
Fort Sumter. Through the long Saturday that followed, 
business was at a stand. With bated breath and anxious 
look all Avaited for additional news. Telegraph-offices 
and newspaper bulletin-boards were' watched by anxious 



INDIANA METHODISM. 151 

crowds. Greater events than the bombarding of a single 
fort, and the capturing of a small but brave garrison, 
have occurred in the history of our country; but no 
tidings ever thrilled the heart of the nation like the 
dispatch that passed along our telegraphic lines at ten 
o'clock, announcing that "Sumter has fallen." The 
issue could no longer be evaded — treason or loyalty 
must triumph. Treason had appealed to the arbitrament 
of the sword, and from that tribunal loyalty would not 
shrink ; and, though men's faces were pale, and their 
eyes moist, yet were their hearts brave ; and wherever 
our national banner was unfurled to the sight of our 
people on that day, it awakened a deeper love for that 
emblem of liberty and national unity than they had ever 
felt before. A new meaning seemed to stream from its 
folds. And when another dispatch came, saying, " Mr. 
Lincoln will issue a proclamation to-morrow, calling for 
seventy-five thousand volunteers," w^herever the intel- 
ligence was received, men cheered and shouted until 
they were hoarse. Sunday morning dawned ; but what 
a Sabbath ! From four hundred Methodist pulpits in 
Indiana, on that day, prayers went up for the pres- 
ervation of the Union, the maintenance of the national 
life, and the suppression of rebellion, at whatever of cost 
in blood and treasure it might require. And in not a 
few instances, congregations, pastor and choir, united in 
singing national songs, which on that day had a sanctity 
and a significance that they had never possessed before. 
Indiana's quota of the seventy-five thousand men was 
six thousand. 

Governor Morton's proclamation was the blast of a 
war-trumpet indeed ; and before its echoes had died 
away along the borders of our state, fifteen thousand men 
stood ready for the war. They were not soldiers, but 



152 INDIANA METHODISM. 

they were the materials out of which the best class 
of soldiers were made. Most of them made pecuniary 
sacrifices^ and many of them large ones, to respond to 
their country's call. They did not stop to count the 
cost; they stood ready to give all for their country. 
Among these raw recruits, Methodism was in every 
regiment, and perhaps every company. But as the war 
grew in its proportions, and as the draft upon the men 
and means of the country for the prosecution of the 
war became greater, religious men in larger proportions 
gave themselves to the support of the national cause. 
In many cases, whole Bible-classes from the Sabbath- 
schools enlisted together. Professors and students left 
college halls and literary pursuits for the privations 
of the camp and the perils of the battle-field. While 
the Churches were generally truly loyal, Methodism 
was intensely so, and being numerically the largest de- 
nomination in the state, contributed more than any other 
to the strength of the Union cause. The political value 
of Methodism to the preservation of our national life 
has not been fully estimated. The Methodist Episcopal 
Church is in no sense a political Church, and interferes 
with politics, in any justly objectionable sense, perhaps 
as little as any of the Churches in the land ; and while 
her members are as free as those of any Church, or of 
no Church, to declare and advocate their sentiments, yet 
the Methodist Church has never ignored moral ques- 
tions because politicians had embodied them in political 
platforms; and because of her numbers, her antislavery 
doctrines, and her unswerving loyalty, she iias been an 
important auxiliary in saving the national life; and 
even her friends have generally underestimated her po- 
litical value in this respect. Chief Justice Chase re- 
marked, in an address delivered in New York, shortly 



INDIANA METHODISM. 153 

after the close of the war, that " whatever was valuable 
or praiseworthy in our institutions, or in our form of gov- 
ernment, that survived the Rebellion, was indebted to 
the Methodist Church." This was uttered in no spirit of 
disrespect to other Churches, but in view of the facts in 
the case. Look how this matter 'stands in our state. 
There are over 100,000 Methodist communicants in 
Indiana, including the German Methodists. It is usual, 
in estimating the whole population, to add three non- 
communicants for every communicant, as adherents of 
the Church, and a moment's reflection will convince any 
one that the estimate is not too high. We then have 
a Methodist population of 400,000. The proportion of 
voters to the entire population is as one to six. Accord- 
ing to the calculations in the "United States Census for 
1860," in the new states and territories, one-fifth of the 
population were voters. One of the orators of the Hev- 
olution said, "We are so many millions — one-fifth of 
whom are fighting men." The voting population in any 
community is greater than its fighting population. But 
that no one may question the basis of our calculation in 
this estimate, we place the proportion of voters at one in 
eight of the population, and that gives Methodist voters 
in Indiana, 50,000. Deduct, for Democrats and possible 
overestimate, 10,000, and that leaves an unmistakable 
Union Methodist vote of 40,000. That is to say, take 
Methodism out of the state, and the election in 1860, 
when Mr. Lincoln was elected, would have gone against 
the Union party about 25,000 votes. 

On the basis of this same calculation, look at the value 
of the Methodist Church to the nation. We had in the 
loyal states, in 1864, one million communicants. Count- 
ing non-communicants, we had four millions. This gives 
five hundred thousand Methodist votes. Mr. Lincoln's 



154 INDIANA METHODISM. 

popular mnjority in 1864 was four hundred and six 
thousand eight hundred and twelve, or less than the 
Methodist vote by ninety-three thousand one hundred 
and eighty-eight. Of the more than four hundred pas- 
tors in Indiana, there was not one that was not true to 
the Government duHng the war. The antagonism of 
Methodism to slavery, her outspoken testimony on all 
moral questions, and her numerical strength, constitute 
her a mighty force in the interests of humanity and of 
good government. And the loyal men of the nation 
cheerfully concede the valuable service which Meth- 
odism has rendered in saving the life of the nation. 

That the Church should have held her own during 
the terrible years of the Rebellion would have been 
matter of thankfulness; but her actual progress in all 
the elements of true prosperity, is an occasion of re- 
joicing. The drafts made upon the country during the 
war developed an unprecedented spirit of liberality, 
which not only carried hospital supplies, sanitary stores, 
and the ministrations of religion, to the soldiers in the 
army, but it increased the Churches' contributions in 
every department of Christian enterprise. The people 
formed the habit of giving, and of giving with a fre- 
quency and a generosity hitherto unknown. And a spirit 
of Christian activity and zeal was developed by the 
necessities of the war, as well as a spirit of. increased 
liberality. Christian commissions and Christian associ- 
ations have been brought into being, or developed into 
new vigor. Christians of different denominations have 
been brought into closer union with each other, and de- 
nominational jealousies have greatly abated. These are 
some of the moral compensations of the war. 

Methodism has passed through several distinct phases 
in its progress of development in our state; not in its 



INDIANA METHODISM. 155 

essential characteristics, but in its modes of operation 
and its social characteristics, as these have been modified 
by the improvements of the country and the progress of 
society. The early circuits were necessarily large, the 
settlements sparse and often remote from each other, and 
it was the habit to preach every day in the week. The 
preacher's duty consisted chiefly in preaching and in 
meeting the class, which latter duty almost invariably 
followed that of the sermon. The cabin homes of the 
early settlers were the only churches, split-bottomed 
chairs the pulpits, and the mode of worship of the most 
free and unrestrained character. Our itinerancy brought 
our preachers in contact with the whole people, and by 
organizing societies in every neighborhood, as they were 
enabled to do by the system of week-day preaching, our 
societies rapidly increased ; and while some others were 
directing their efforts to the towns, and the chief centers 
of influence, Methodism was spreading over the whole 
land ; and while others were looking after educational 
trust funds, and the patronage of those in power, Meth- 
odism was seeking to get sinners converted, with a single- 
ness of purpose and a zeal that was truly apostolic. But 
few of the early founders of Methodism in Indiana took 
statesmanlike views of the future. They took little 
thought as to the accumulation of property for the 
Church. Eligible sites for the erection of churches could 
have been secured for the asking, or for a nominal consid- 
eration, from the original proprietors of nearly every 
town in the state ; and yet little thought was bestowed 
on this subject. The first meeting-houses were built for 
the accommodation of those who Avere then members of 
the societies, with little or no reference to the permanent 
centers of population ; and it so happened that in a few 
years many of the churches were found to be wrongly 



156 INDIANA METHODISM. 

located ; and as the country became older, and the de- 
mand for Sabbath preaching compelled the discontinuance 
of week-day appointments, many of the churches ceased 
to be occupied. They were built too close together for 
Sabbath appointments ; and as roads became improved, 
and farmers found themselves possessed of horses and 
carriages, as means of conveyance to church, it made but 
little difference whether the place of worship was one 
mile or three miles distant from their residence. And yet 
it was difficult, and in many places impossible, to unite 
these small country societies and week-day appointments 
in some common center, for the erection of a larger 
church, and the permanent establishment of Sabbath 
preaching. There were sacred associations around nearly 
every log meeting-house in the land, that made it a sac- 
rifice of feeling to abandon any of them. In them many 
of the members had been converted ; by them were the 
humble grave-yards, in which their cherished dead slum- 
bered^ and there were precious memories that made 
these rude temples dear to the hearts of the worship- 
ers ; and it is not strange that, in the discontinuance of 
week-day preaching, and the consequent abandonment of 
some of the country meeting-houses, the Church lost a 
good many members. But the change was inevitable. 
Sound judgment is as much needed in the suitable loca- 
tion of churches as in the location of business-houses. 
As a general rule, it is unwise for any denomination to 
build its houses of worship in the country, nearer than 
five miles of each other. If built much nearer, they can 
not be self-sustaining, and give their pastors a reasonable 
support, without making the contributions for Church 
purposes burdensome. In many instances, week-day 
preaching was doubtless discontinued sooner than it needs 
to have been, and pastoral visiting did not take the place 



INDIANA METHODISM. 157 

of week-day preaching as efFectively as it should have 
done, and as was the intention of the Church in making 
the change ; and yet the transition has been made from 
large pastoral charges to small ones, and from week-day 
preaching to nearly exclusively Sabbath services, with as 
little friction as could have been anticipated. 

In church architecture, Methodism has undergone a 
great change. Our first churches, like the homes of the 
early settlers, were made of logs. The second editions 
of our houses of worship were usually plain frame or 
brick buildings, without steeples or bells. Now the 
finest and most costly Protestant churches in our chief 
towns are those owned and occupied by the Methodists; 
their steeples are as high, and their bells as numerous 
and as rich toned as any; and it is evident that Meth- 
odists are investing more money in church-building thaa 
the members of any Church among us. And while the 
Methodist Church has required no high standard of liter- 
ary qualification as a condition of admittance into the 
ministry, it has come to pass that in our principal 
Churches the highest ministerial qualifications are de- 
manded, and that demand is as fully met as in any 
of our sister Churches. We have also changed our cus- 
toms in regard to sittings in congregational worship. 
Formerly the sexes were separated, even of those be- 
longing to the same household, while now not only 
family, but promiscuous sittings, are allowed, and in 
many of the churches the seats are pewed. There is a 
gradual and commendable improvement in the support 
of the ministry, and in the contributions to the various 
enterprises of the Church. The vested funds for Church 
purposes in Indiana amount to $3,650,969. 

Each of the conferences has societies for the relief 



158 INDIANA METHODISM. 

of superannuated preachers and the widows and or- 
phans of deceased preachers. These societies are in 
their inftincy, and their funds are being rapidly increased. 
They stand as follows : 

Indiana Conference $15,814 

North Indiana Conference 1(),()()0 

North-western Indiana Conference 10,000 

South-eastern Indiana Conference 12,000 

Total $58,814 

PAID FOR MINISTERIAL SUPPORT. 

Indiana Conference $76,203 71 

North Indiana Conference 88,542 00 

South-eastern Indiana Conference 60,307 04 

North-western Indiana Conference 75,798 00 

That part of the Central German Conference included in Indiana 12,003 00 

Total for ministerial support in 1869 $318,253 75 

BENEVOLENT CONTRIBUTIONS. 

Indiana Conference $11,769 61 

North Indiana Conference 11,885 48 

South-eastern Indiana Conference 11,080 63 

North-western Indiana Conference 9,701 46 

German work in Indiana 3,547 20 

Total $47,984 38 

Ministerial support 318,253 75 

Total for ministerial support and benevolence $366,838 13 

METHODISM .\ND POPULATION. 

Population .1,668,000 

Methodists 113,800 

To these are to be added the members of the African 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Their statistics stand as 
follows : 

Ministers 42 

Members 2,418 

Sabbath-schools 31 

Officers and teachers 204 

Scholars 1,417 



INDIANA METHODISM. 159 

The growth of Methodism among the German pop- 
ulation in Indiana has been remarkable. The record of 
German Methodism in the state is as follows : 

Ministers 23 

Members 3,214 

Churches 47 

Value of churches $83,000 

Parsonages 19 

Value of parsonages $22,900 

Sunday-schools 42 

Officers and teachers 487 

Scholars 2,440 

The responsibilities of Indiana Methodism, in view 
of her numbers and resources, are enormous. May she 
prove equal to her position in the future as in the past ! 



160 INDIANA METHODISM. 



CHAPTER X. 

Retrospect of the Conferences — Indiana Conference — Number of 
Preachers — Presiding Elders — Members — Value of Church Prop- 
erty — Numbers of Sunday-schools, Officers, and Teachers — Super- 
annuated Members of the Conference — Sessions of the Conference 
from 1832 to 1851 — Time, Place, Presiding Bishop — Principal Secre- 
tary — North Indiana Conference — Numlier of Preachers — Presiding 
Elders — Church Members — Sunday-schools, Officers, and Teach- 
ers — Value of Church Property — Superannuated Preachers — Ses- 
sions of the Conference from 1844 to 1871 — South-eastern Indiana 
Conference — Preachers — Church Members — Value of Church Prop- 
erty — Sunday-schools, Officers, and Teachers — Benevolent Contri- 
butions — Presiding Elders — Superannuated Members — Sessions of 
the Conference from 1852 to 1871 — North-west Indiana Conference — 
First Session — Number of Preachers — Superannuates — Presiding 
Elders — Statistics of the Conference — Institutions of Learning un- 
der the care of the Conference — Missionaries connected with the 
Conference — Sessions of the Conference from 1852 to 1871. 

INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

THIS is the Mother Conference in Indiana. It should, 
in justice, have antedated the organization of the 
Illinois Conference ; but, as we have seen, although the 
larger share of the membership was in Indiana, the soci- 
eties in Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois were included in 
the Illinois Conference, down to 1832. Indiana Confer- 
ence comprises the south-western part of the state. It 
numbers 121, of whom fourteen are superannuated. 
There are seven Presiding Districts, supplied as follows : 
Indianapolis District — B. F. Rawlins, Presiding Elder; 
Bloomington District — J. H. Ketcham, Presiding Elder ; 
Yincennes District — John Kiger, Presiding Elder; Ev- 
ansville District — W. F. Harned, Presiding Elder ; Rock- 
port District — W. M. Zaring, Presiding Elder; New 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



161 



Albany District — John J. Eight, Presiding Elder ; Mitch- 
ell District — John Walls, Presiding Elder. Members, 25- 
062 ; probationers, 3,363 ; local preachers, 224 ; churches, 
303— valtie, $614,590; parsonages, 66— value, $117,450 
Sunday-schools, 314 ; officers and teachers, 3,049 ; schol 
ars, 20,006 ; volumes in library, 31,730. The superan 
nuated members of the Conference entered the traveling 
connection at the following dates : John Schrader, 1814 ; 
Asa Beck, 1828; W. V. Daniels, 1833; W. C. Smith 
1840; S. Havenscroft, 1839; C. Cross, 1854; J. C 
Smith, 1830; H. S. Dane, 1832 ; J. Talbott, 1838 ; E 
W. Cadwell, 1842; Silas Rawson, 1837 ; W.F.Mason 
1850; R. B. Spencer, 1853; M. M. C. Hbbbs, 1856. 



INDIANA CONFERENCE RETROSPECT. 



No. 




10 

11 

12 
13 
U 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 



Date of Session. 



October 17 
October 16 
October 22 
October 14 
October 26 
October 25 
October 17 
October 23 
October 21 
October 6 
October 19 
October 18 
September 
October 8 
October 7 
October 6 
October 4 
October 10 
October 9 
October 8 
October, 1852 
October 29, 1853... 
September 13, 185 J 
September 12, 1855 
September 3, 1856 
October 1, 1857... 
September 30, 1858 
October 5, 1859... 
September 26, 1860 



, 1832... 
, 1833... 
, 1834... 
, 1835... 
, 1836... 
, 1837... 
, 1838... 
, 1839... 
, 1840... 
, 1841... 
, 1842... 
, 1843... 
25, 1844 
, 18-15... 
, 1846... 
, 1847... 
, 1848... 
, 1849... 
, 1850... 
, 1851... 



Place. 



New Albany... 

Madison 

Centerville 

Lafayette 

Indianapolis... 
New Albany... 

Rockville 

Lawrenceburg. 
Indianapolis... 
Terre Haute... 

Centerville 

Crawfordsville. 
Bloomington .. 

Madison 

Connersville... 

Evansville 

New Albany... 

Rising Sun 

Jeffersonville.. 
Indianapolis... 

Bedford 

Evansville 

New Albany... 

Vincennes 

Greencastle.... 
New Albany... 
Mount Vernon. 
Bloomington .. 
Sullivan 



Bishop 



J. Soule 

J. Soule 

R. R. Roberts... 
R. R. Roberts... 
R. R. Roberts... 

J. Soule 

J. Soule 

J. Soule 

J. Soule 

R. R. Roberts... 

T. A. Morris 

J. 0. Andrew... 

B.Waiigh 

T. A. Morris 

L. L. Hamline... 

B. Waugh 

T. A. Morris 

E. S. Janes 

T. A. Morris 

B. Waugh 

O.C.Baker 

E. R. Ames 

E. R. Ames 

M. Simpson 

B. Waugh 

T. A. Morris 

E. S. Janes 

L. Scott 

0. C. Baker 



Secretary. 



C.W.Ruter. 
C. W. Ruter. 
C. W. Ruter. 
C. W. Ruter. 
C. W. Ruter. 
C. W. Ruter. 
J. C. Smith. 
E. R. Ames. 

E. R. Ames. 
M. Simpson. 
M. Simpson. 
M. Simpson. 
L. W. Berry. 
M. Simpson. 
M. Simpson. 
M. Simpson. 

F. C. Holliday. 
M. Simpson, 
M. Simpson. 
M. Simpson. 
L. W. Berry. 
L. W. Berry. 
L. W. Berry. 
T. H. Sinex. 
Daniel Curry. 
W. M. Hester. 
W. M. Hester. 
W. M. Hester. 
W. M. Hester. 



162 INDIANA METHODISM, 

INDIANA CONFERENCE RETROSPECT— Continued. 



No. 


Date of Session. 


Place. 


Bishops. 


Secretary. 


30 


September 25, 1861 


Rockport 


M. Simpson 


W. M. Hester. 


31 


September 24, 1862 


Greencastle 


E.R. Ames 


John Laverty. 


32 


September 16, 1863 


Washington 


T. A. Morris 


John Laverty. 


33 


September 26, 1864 


Princeton 


M. Simpson 


B. R Rawlins. 


34 


September 14,1865 


New Albany.... 


L. Scott 


J. J. Hight. 


35 


September 12, 1866 


Vincennes 


E. Thomson 


S. Bowers. 


36 


September 11,1867 


Indianapolis.... 


T. A. Morris 


S. Bowers. 


37 


September 16, 1868 


Bedford 


C. Kingsley 


S. Bowers. 


38 


September 8,1869 


Evansville 


E. R. Ames 


S. Bowers. 


39 


August 31, 1870 


Bloomington ... 


M. Simpson 


S. Bowers. 


40 


September 13, 1871 


New Albany.... 


L. Scott 


S. L. Binkley. 



NORTH INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

This Conference, embracing the north-east -quarter of 
the state, is composed of 153 members, including four- 
teen superannuates, and eleven probationers. The work 
is divided into eight presiding elders' districts, with the 
following elders in charge of them : Anderson District — 
W. H. Goode, Presiding Elder; Richmond District — M. 
Mahin, Presiding Elder; Muncie District — N. H. Phil- 
lips, Presiding Elder ; Logansport District — V. M. 
Beamer, Presiding Elder ; Fort Wayne District — W. S. 
Birch, Presiding Elder ; West Fort Wayne District— H. 
N. Barnes, Presiding Elder; Warsaw District — L. W. 
Monson, Presiding Elder ; Goshen District — H. J. Meek, 
Presiding Elder. Besides the ministers appointed to pas- 
toral charges, Rev. Thomas Bowman, D. D., is President 
of Indiana Asbury University ; Rev. J. B. Robinson, 
President of Fort Wayne College ; Rev. R. Toby, Agent 
for Fort Wayne College ; and Rev. C. Martindale, Agent 
for the State Temperance Alliance. Church members, 
24,718 ; probationers, 6,231 ; local preachers, 273 ; Sab- 
bath-schools, 366 ; officers and teachers, 4,119 ; scholars, 
27,340; churches, 345— value, $762,375; parsonages^ 
87 — value, $122,930. Of the fourteen superannuated 





y^, ^o- 



o^zy-c 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



163 



preachers on their list, they entered the ministry as fol- 
lows : Robert Burns, in 1826 ; G. C. Beeks, Jacob Col- 
clazer, and H. B. Beers, in 1836 ; G. W. Bowers, in 
1837; Jacob Whiteman, in 1811; E. Maynard, in 1845 ; 
B. Smith and J. W. Welch, in 1851 ; J. Maffit, in 1853; 
and L. J. Templin, in 1858. 

NORTH INDIANA CONFERENCE RETROSPECT. 



No. 


Date of Session. 


Phifc. 


Bishops. 


Principal Secretary. 


1 

2 
:') 

4- 

5 

() 

1 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 


Oct 16-21 1844 


Fort Wayne.... 

Lafayette 

Laporte . 


Waugh... 
Hamline 
Morris ... 

Janes 

Hamline 
Waugh'... 

Janes 

Morris... 
Baker.... 

Ames 

Simpson. 

Scott 

Baker.... 
Simpson. 

Ames 

Morris... 

Ames 

Janes 

Simpson. 
Morris ... 
Morris... 

Scott 

Clark 

Ames 

Thomson 
Simpson. 

Clark 

Ames 


M. Simpson. 
S. T. Gillett. 
S. T. Gillett. 
S. T. Gillett. 
S. T. Gillett. 
John C. Smith. 
J. C. Smith. 
S. T. Gillett. 
S. T. Gillett. 
C. Nutt. 
C. Nutt. 
C. Nutt. 
H. N. Barnes. 
H. N. Barnes. 
J. C. Medsker. 
H. N. Barnes. 
A. Greenman. 
H. N. Barnes. 
M. Mahin. 
M. Mahin. 
M. Mahin. 
M. Mahm. 
M. Mahin. 
M. Mahin. 
M. xMahin. 
M. Mahin. 
M.H.Mendenhall 
M.H.Mendenhall 


Sept 24-29, 18-15 


Sent 16-22 18-16 


Sept 15-22, 18-17 


IndianapoHs.... 
Green castle .... 
Logan sport .... 
Cambridge City 

South Bend 

Fort Wayne 

Richmond 

Peru 


Sept. 6-11, 1848 


Aug. 29— Sept. 4, 1849... 
Auo- 21-26 1850 . . 


Auo- 20-27, 1851 


Sept. 20-28, 1852 


Sept 21-24, 1858 


Sept. 20-23, 1854 


Sept 14-19, 1855 


Goshen 

Muncie 


Sept. 24-29, 1856 


April 8-11, 1857 


Marion 

Winchester 

Logansport 

Mishawaka 

Newcastle 

Fort Wayne.... 
Wabash 


April 7-14, 1858 

April 7-11 1859 


April 5-9, 1860 


April 3-8 1861 


April 10-15. 1862 

April 9-13 1863 


April 6-11, 1864 


Knightstown... 
Kendallville.... 
Peru 


April 12-17, 1865 

April 5-9, 1866 


April 10-15 1867 


Anderson 


April 15-20, 1868 


April 15-19, 1869 

April 13-18, 1870 


Richmond 

Kokomo 

Huntington 


April 12-17, 1871 



SOUTH-EASTERN INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

This Conference, as its name imports, includes the 
south-eastern portion of the state. The statistics are as 
follows: members, 21,118; probationers, 2,235; local 
preachers, 151; churches, 283 — value, $701,938; parson- 
ages, 48— value, $47,900 ; Sabbath-schools, 293; officers 
and teachers, 3,285; scholars, 20,105; volumes in Sun- 



164 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



day-school libraries, 31,039 -, aggregate of benevolent 
contributions for the year, $11,080.63 ; traveling preach- 
ers, 115, including 17 superannuates. The charges are 
embraced in five presiding elders' districts, which are in 
charge of the following elders : Indianapolis District— 
R. D. Robinson, Presiding Elder; Connersville Dis- 
trict — F. A. Hester, Presiding Elder ; Lawrenceburg Dis- 
trict — J. B. Lathrop, Presiding Elder; Madison Dis- 
trict — W. Terrell, Presiding Elder; JefFersonville Dis- 
trict — E. G. Wood, Presiding Elder. Of the seventeen 
superannuated w^hose names are on the roll of the Con- 
ference, they entered the ministry as follows : John Mil- 
ler, in 1823; Joseph Marsee, in 1826; Joseph Tarking- 
ton, in 1825 ; John A. Brouse, in 1833 ; Thomas Ray, in 
1833; Lewis Hurlbut, in 1834; Asbury Wilkinson, in 
1840 ; Elijah Whitten, in 1832 ; Isaac H. Tomlinson, in 
1861; N. F. Tower, in 1846; M. A. Ruter, in 1841; 
H. Richardson, in 1850 ; D. Stiver, in 1832 ; Samuel 
Weeks, in 1838; A. Kennedy, in 1859; W. Long, in 
1849 ; John W. Dole, in 1835. But few of these en- 
tered the ministry in Indiana, but by the working of our 
itinerant system they became members of the South- 
eastern Indiana Conference, and they are beloved for 
their work's sake. 



SOUTH-EASTERN INDIANA CONFERENCE RETROSPECT. 



No. 


Date of Session. 


Place. 


Bishops. 


Principal Secretary. 


1 


October G, 1852 


Rushville 


0. C. Baker... 


F. C. Holliday. 


2 


October 5, 1853 


Brookville 


E. R. Ames... 


S. P. Crawford. 


3 


September 28, 1854 


Greensburgi .... 


M. Simpson... 


J. W. Locke. 


4 


September 27, 1855 


Shelbyville 


L. Scott 


T. H. Lynch. 


5 


September 17, 1856 


Madison 


B. Waugh 


J. W. Locke. 


6 


September 23, 1857 


Aurora 


T. A. Morris.. 


W. W. Hibben. 


n 


September 22, 1858 


Columbus 


E. S.Janes... 


W. W. Snyder. 


8 


September 28, 1851) 


Indianapolis.... 


L.Scott 


W. W. Snyder. 


9 


September 20, 18G0 


Lawrenceburg.. 


0. C. Baker... 


T. G. Beharrell. 


10 


September 18, 18G1 


Jefifersonville ... 


T. A. Morris.. 


T. G. Beharrell 


11 


September 17, 18G2 


Greensburg 


E.R.Ames... 


J. W. Locke. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



165 



SOUTH-EASTERN INDIANA CONFERENCE RETROSPECT-Continued. 



No. 


Date of Session. 


Place. 


Bishops. 


Principal Secretary. 


12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 


September 16, 1863 
September 21, 1864 
September 20, 1865 
September 19, 1866 
September 11, 1867 
September 10, 1868 
September 15, 1869 
September 7, 1870 
September 6, 1871 


Columbus 

Shelbyville 

Madison 

Aurora 

Connersville.... 

Franklin 

Indianapolis 

Brookville 

Jeffersonville . . 


0. C. Baker... 
M. Simpson... 
T. A. Morris.. 
E. S. Janes... 

L. Scott 

D. W. Clark.. 
M. Simpson... 

L. Scott 

L. Scott 


J. B. Lathrop. 
J. B. Lathrop. 
J. B. Lathrop. 
Geo. L. Curtis. 
Geo. L. Curtis. 
Geo. L. Curtis. 
Geo. L. Curtis. 
Geo. L. Curtis. 
Geo. L. Curtis. 



NORTH-WEST INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

Tpie North-west Indiana Conference comprises, as its 
name imports, the north-west portion of the state. The 
Conference was organized in 1852, when the state was 
divided into four conferences, and held its first session 
in Terre Haute, in September, 1852, at which Bishop 
Baker presided. The Conference numbers 133, includ- 
ing those on trial, and those on the superannuated list. 
The superannuates are : Jacob M. Stallard, George Guild, 
Moses Blackstock, G. W. Hamilton, H. S. Shaw, W. J. 
Forbes, J. White, H. Smith, J. Eicketts, J. Edwards, W. 
Copp, P. I. Beswick, D. Shankwiler, John Leach, Miles 
H. Wood, W. H. Smith, J. B. Gray, David Crawford, 
John S. Donaldson, Michael Johnson, B. W. Smith. For 
1871, the work was comprised in the following districts, 
which were under the care of the following elders : La- 
fayette District — J. H. Hull, Presiding Elder ; Terre 
Haute District — William Graham, Presiding Elder; 
Greencastle District — S. Godfrey, Presiding Elder; 
Crawfordsville District — John L. Smith, Presiding Elder; 
East Lafayette District — I. W. Joyce, Presiding Elder ; 
Battleground District— J. W. T. M'Mullen, Presiding El- 
der; Valparaiso District — W. B. Mikels, Presiding El- 
der ; Laporte District — L. Nebeker, Presiding Elder ; 
communicants, 19,531; local preachers, 198; Sunday- 



166 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



schools, 285 ; officers and teachers, 2,916 ; scholars, 19,- 
835. Besides the interest the Conference has in Asburj 
University, it has under its care, Stockwell Collegiate In- 
stitute, and Battleground Institute, besides a good school 
at Valparaiso, more or less under the care of the Confer- 
ence. Two members of the Conference, to wit, H. B. 
Jackson and Thomas B. Wood, are missionaries to South 
America. 



NORTH-WEST INDIANA CONFERENCE RETROSPECT. 



No. 


Date of Session. 


Place. 


BisliO|)s. 


Secretary. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

1 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 


September 8, 1852 
September 7, 1853 
September 6, 185J 
August 28, 1855.... 
October 8, 1856.... 

October 1. 1857 

September 29, 1858 
September 29, 1859 
October 11, 1860... 
October 10, 1861... 
October 9, 1862... 
September 30, 1863 
September 7,186-1 
September 6, 1865 
August 29, 1866.... 
September 11, 1867 
September 30,1868 
September 8,1869 
September 7, 1870 
September 6,1871 


Terre Haute.... 
Attica 


Baker 


Luther Taylor. 
Wm. Graham. 
Wm. Graham. 
B. H. Nadal. 

B. H. Nadal. 
Joseph C. Keed. 
J. C. Reed. 

J. C. Reed. 
J. C. Reed. 
Clark Skinner. 
J. C. Reed. 
J. C. Reed. 
Wm. Graham. 
Wm. Graham. 
Wm. Graham. 
Wm. Graham. 
Clark Skinner. 

C. Skinner. 
J. C. Reed. 
J. C. Reed. 


Ames 


Laporte 


Simpson 


Delphi 


Crawfordsville.. 

Lafayette 

Valparaiso 

Green castle .... 
Terre Haute.... 

South Bend 

Lafayette 

Michigan City.. 
Delphi 


Janes 


Wauo'h 


Ames 

Morris 

Simpson 


Scott 


Morris 

Baker 




Scott 


Lanorte 


Atnes 


Danville 

Valparaiso 

Lafayette 

Terre Haute.... 
Crawfordsville.. 


Janes 


Thomson 

Clark 


Simpson 

Ames 



INDIANA METHODISM. 167 



CHAPTER XI. 

Sabbath-school Cause — Sabbath-school organized by Bishop Asbury in 
1786 — Resolutions passed by the General Conference of 1824 — Or- 
ganization of the "Sunday-school Union of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church" — " Sunday-School Advocate" established — Sunday-school 
Convention in 1844 — Superintendents admitted into the Quarterly 
Conference — Rules of the Discipline on Sunday-schools in 1861 — 
Sunday-schools in Indiana — Statistics. 

SABBATH-SCHOOL CAUSE. 

METHODISM early fostered the work of Sabbath- 
school instruction, both in England and in America. 
It is interesting to note the growth of the Sunday-school 
idea in the Church, and to mark the different stages of its 
development. The Methodist Episcopal Church was the 
first to give the Sabbath-school cause a distinct and direct 
ecclesiastical recognition in this country. This she did 
only six years after her organization. In 1790, we find 
this question asked in the Minutes of the Conference : 
" What can be done in order to instruct poor children, 
white and black, to read?" The answer Avas, ^'Let us 
labor, as the heart and soul of one man, to establish Sun- 
day-schools in or near the place of public Avorship ; let 
persons be appointed by the bishops, elders, deacons, or 
preachers, to teach gratis all that will attend, and have a 
capacity to learn, from six in the morning till ten, and 
from two o'clock in the afternoon till six, where it does 
not interfere with public worship." Previous to this 
date, children's classes for religious instruction were au- 
thorized. In 1784, in the first Discipline in our Church, 
the question is asked, " What shall we do for the rising 



168 INDIANA METHODISM, 

generation?" and one of the answers given was, "Where 
there are ten children, Avhose parents are in the Society, 
meet them at least one hour each week." In 1786, 
Bishop Asbmy organized a Sabbath-school in the house 
of Thomas Crenshaw, in Hanover County, Virginia. This 
was, perhaps, the first regularly organized Sabbath-school 
in America. 

To what extent the official exhortation of 1790 was 
heeded, we can not say ; but for teachers to volunteer to 
teach on the Sabbath, from six until ten in the forenoon, 
and from two until six in the afternoon, would be more 
than could be reasonably expected ; and the confinement 
was such that but few children would submit to it, who 
were allowed any discretion in the matter at all. The 
schools were intended, chiefly, for the benefit of the poor, 
and for their instruction in the rudiments of secular 
learning. The Sunday-school idea was being gradually 
developed in the mind of the Church, and accordingly we 
find that the General Conference of 1824 passed three 
resolutions on the subject of Sunday-schools. It was 
made the duty of each preacher to encourage the estab- 
lishment and progress of Sunday-schools. Arrangements 
were made for the compilation of a catechism for the use 
of Sunday-schools, and of children in general. The Book 
Agents were instructed "to provide and keep on hand a 
good assortment of books suitable for the use of Sunday- 
schools." By this time the Church had outgrown the 
idea that Sunday-schools were intended for the instruc- 
tion of the children of the poor. The schools had lost 
much of their secular character, and were gradually as- 
suming that religious cast by which they are now chiefly 
distinguished. All limitations were taken off, and it was 
made a part of every traveling preacher's official duty to 
encourage the organization of Sunday-schools. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 169 

In 1827, the Sunday-school Union of the Methodist ]/ 
Episcopal Church was organized in the city of New 
York; and henceforth the Sabbath-school institution Avith 
us assumes more of a Churchly character. The preach- 
ers are charged " to aid in the instruction of the rising- 
generation, particularly in the knowledge of the Scrip- 
tures, and in the service and worship of God." These 
schools are no longer devoted, chiefly, to imparting secular 
instruction, nor for the exclusive benefit of the children 
of the poor; but they are still schools for children. In 
1828, the Discipline made it the duty of every preacher 
to form Sunday-schools. In 1832, it was made the duty 
of presiding elders to "promote Sunday-schools, and of 
the preacher in charge to report the statistics of his Sun- 
day-schools to the last quarterly conference of the con- 
ference year, and also to the annual conference." In 
1840, the rules relating to Sunday-schools were entirely 
remodeled. It was made the duty of the presiding elder 
carefully to inquire, at each quarterly conference, if the 
rules for the instruction of children have been faithfully 
observed. The preachers are charged to visit the Sab- 
bath-schools as often as practicable; to preach on the 
subject of Sunday-schools and of religious instruction in 
each congregation, at least once in six months, and to 
form Bible classes " for the instruction of larger children 
and youth." Sunday-school teaching was no longer con- 
fined to little children. " Larger children and youth" are 
now included, and Bible-classes are organized for their 
instruction. In 1840, the Sunday-school Union was re- 
organized, and brought more directly under the con- 
trol of the Church. In 1841, the child's paper, now so 
widely known as the Sunday -School Advocate^ was estab- 
lished. During the session of the General Conference, 
in 1844, a Sunday-school convention met in the city of 



170 INDIANA METHODISM. 

New York, "for the purpose of adopting measures more 
efficientl}^ to advance the cause of Sabbath-school instruc- 
tion throughout the Methodist Episcopal Church." This 
convention recommended to the General Conference the 
organizing of " a distinct and separate department for the 
editing and publishing of Sunday-school books." It rec- 
ommended a competent editor for the Sunday-school 
department, and requested that the Discipline be so 
amended as to make Sunday-school superintendents mem- 
bers of the quarterly conference. All of the recommen- 
dations but the last one were adopted. In 1856, Sunday 
school superintendents were, by the Discipline, recog- 
nized as members of the quarterly conference. In 1852, 
male superintendents, being members of our Church, were 
admitted to the quarterly conferences, " with the right to 
speak and vote on questions relating to Sunday-schools, 
and on such questions only." It w^as not until 1856 that 
these restrictions were taken off, and the Sunday-school 
became fully incorporated into the working forces of the 
Church. In 1860, the addition of a single word in the 
Discipline shows the further progress of the Sunday- 
school idea in the mind of the Church. The word 
" adults" was now added, so that the rule should read, 
" to form Bible classes for the larger children, youth, and 
adults." This marks an advance worthy of special no- 
tice. At first, Sunday-schools were intended for the 
children of the poor ; next, they were to include all of 
the children, whether rich or poor ; after the lapse of a 
few years, " larger children and youth" are considered 
worthy of special mention ; and at last the Sunday- 
school idea becomes so expanded as to embrace adults as 
well as children and youth ; and now the recognized idea 
of the Sunday-school is, the Bible school for the whole 
congregation, parents as well as children. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 171 

The Sunday-school movement has not only created a 
juvenile literature of the most instructive and attractive 
kind, but it has modified the general literature of our 
times, and is training 1/220,000 scholars, in connection 
with our own Church, in the lessons prepared by our 
Sunday-school Union for the training of our Sunday- 
schools. And the prevalence of Sunday-school institutes, 
and the extent to which maps and the blackboard are 
used in our schools, shows the substantial progress that 
is being made in this department of religious culture. 

From this brief survey of the history of the Sunday- 
school cause among us as a denomination, it is seen that 
the institution was in vigorous growth at- the time when 
Methodism was being introduced into Indiana. But 
where the societies where small, the population sparse and 
poor (as was the case with most of the early settlements 
in Indiana), Sabbath-schools could not be readily kept up. 
But as soon as towns sprung up, and permanent societies 
were formed. Sabbath-schools were organized, and Sab- 
bath-school instruction became a legitimate part of Church 
work. In the country, the organization of Sunday- 
schools dates Avith the discontinuance of week-day 
preaching, as a general rule. As the large circuits were 
divided, pastoral charges made less, and preaching con- 
fined to the Sabbath-day, the preachers had more leisure 
for pastoral duties ; and in obedience to the instructions 
of the Church, they bestowed increased attention upon 
the religious instruction of the children, and upon estab- 
lishing and buikling up the Sabbath-schools. At an early 
day in the history of Sunday-schools, the needed requi- 
sites, such as class-books, question-books, books of instruc- 
tion, maps, and suitable library-books, could not be ob- 
tained; but now they are abundant and cheap, and the 
Methodist Churches in Indiana pay annually, for the 



172 INDIANA METHODISM. 

maintenance of their Sabbath-schools, more than $20,000 ; 
and few investments pay so well. The Sunday-school 
statistics for the year 1870 were as follows : Schools, 
1,312 ; officers and teachers, 13,996j scholars, 92,223. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 173 



CHAPTER XII. 

Methodism in some of the Principal Towns — Jeffersonville ; by Rev. 
R. Curran, M. D.— First Society formed— First Quarterly Meeting 
held — First Church built — Celebration of the Centenary of Method- 
ism — Present Statistics — New Albany — First Church built — Num- 
ber of Churches at present — De Pauw College — Richmond; by 
Rev. Thomas Comstock — Settlement of Wayne County — Whitewa- 
ter Circuit formed — First Church built — First Camp-meeting — In- 
troduction of Methodism into Richmond — Present State of the 
Churches — Indianapolis — First Place of Worship in Indianapo- 
lis — Mention of Prominent Methodists — Relative Strength of the 
Churches in the City — List of Appointments from 1821 to 1842 — 
Washington, Daviess County — First Church built — Lafayette; 
by Rev. N. L. Brakeman — First Methodist Sermon — Church organ- 
ized in Lafayette — Present Strength of Methodism — South Bend — 
Account of John Brownfield, Esq. — First Prayer-meeting — First 
Sunday-school — Church built — Enterprise of "Ladies' Mite Soci- 
ety" — Value of Church Property — Anderson ; by Rev. W. H. 
Goode, D. D. — First House of Worship — Present Church Build- 
ings — Peru — First Class formed — First Church built — Terre 
Haute — First Mention in the Minutes — Anecdote of Mrs. Locke — 
Methodism in Terre Haute; by Col. Thomas Bowling — First 
Church Organization — Present Church erected — Early State of So- 
ciety — Present Statistics — Madison — Early Methodists — Church 
Statistics — Vincennes — Value of Property — Number of Mem- 
bers — Fort Wayne — First Class formed — First Sunday-school — 
Fort Wayne College — Names of Presidents — Evansville — Circuit 
Preaching established — Present Charges — Statistics. 

History of Methodism in some of the Towns 
AND Cities of the State. 

JEFFERSONVILLE. 

BY REV. R. CURRAN, M. D. 

THE first society seems to have been organized about 
A. D. 1807, by some minister, or perhaps a local 
preacher, from Kentucky. The first official recognition 



174 INDIANA METHODISM. 

of this society seems to have occurred about A. D. 1810, 
under the ministry of the Hev. Sely Payne, who traveled 
Silver-creek Circuit that year, which embraced Jefferson- 
ville. The first society in Jeffersonville was composed 
of the following persons, to wit : Mr. Beman, L. P., 
class-leader; Mrs. Beman, Stephen Beman, Lyman Be- 
man, Mary Toville, afterward Mary Taylor, Davis 
Floyd, Mary Floyd, Richard Mosely, Samuel Lampton, 
Charlotte Lampton, Mrs. Leatherman. There may have 
been other names on the old class-paper at that time, but 
that important document having long since disappeared, 
with other records, the above are all the names which can 
be identified at this late day. Father Beman seems to 
have been an earnest, humble Christian; a good represent- 
ative of the Methodists of his time. The old members, 
two or three of whom lingered among us to a late period, 
spoke with enthusiasm of the happy times their little 
band enjoyed under his faithful leadership. Thus the 
good seed was sown which has since sprung up, resulting 
in a glorious harvest. 

In consulting the old records of the Silver-creek Cir- 
cuit, the following items were thought worthy of being 
transcribed : At a quarterly meeting held at Charles- 
town, January 10, 1810, the Jeffersonville society is 
credited with fifty cents quarterage. At the first quar- 
terly-meeting in 1811, the amount was $1.25. At the 
first quarterly-meeting in 1812, it had advanced to the 
sum of $2. The first quarterly-meeting for Jefferson- 
ville was held March 11 and 12, A. D. 1815. Charles 
Holliday was presiding elder, and Shadrach Buark and 
James Garver were circuit-preachers. The circuit- 
preachers at this quarterly-meeting received each $15.97, 
and presiding elder nothing. This was truly the day of 
small things. Still the holy men labored on through 



INDIANA METHODISM. 175 

poverty and obloquy, rejoicing in their work, and con- 
tented if they might win souls for Christ. They haA^e en- 
tered into their reward, and we are still enjoying the 
blessed fruits of their self-sacrificing and faithful labors. 
The spirit of primitive Methodism was well repre- 
sented for many years in this society, especially by the 
female members, who had united with the society in its 
infancy. Among these may be mentioned Anna Tuley, 
who still lingers on the shores of time, standing as a 
way-mark — a bright example of Christian meekness and 
patience, like her ancient namesake, waiting in the tem- 
ple, looking for the appearing of her Lord. There were 
also Polly Taylor, Anna Wright, and Elizabeth Jackson. 
These three sisters lived in the enjoyment of glorious 
religious experience to the close of life. For a long- 
series of years, on entering the Wall-street Methodist 
Episcopal Church, the first object that greeted the sight 
was these three sisters, attired in costume severely plain, 
occupying a slip near the pulpit; and they were rarely 
absent from the house of God. Their tender, sisterly love 
for each other, no less than their constant Christian zeal 
and exemplary walk, was a sight beautiful to behold. 
Many a minister has been made to feel the cheering and 
sustaining influence of their presence and intercessions 
while delivering his Gospel message. They have passed 
from the Church militant to the Church triumphant. 
Among the earlier class-leaders, we find the names of 
Andrew Fite, James Keigwin, Charles Sleed. 

HISTORY OF CHURCH PROPERTY. 

The first record or notice of Church property belong- 
ing to the society, is found in a letter, on file, from He v. 
William Shanks, Presiding Elder, to James Keigwin, 
Charles Sleed, Andrew Fite, David Grisamore, Aaron 



176 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Applegate, and Nelson Rozzle, dated at New Albany, In- 
diana, June 22, 1833, as follows : 

"Dear Brethren, — Being informed by Brother Ames 
that it is necessary to appoint trustees for the Church in 
Jeffersonville, and the Discipline making it the duty of 
the presiding elder or preacher-in-charge to appoint 
trustees when and where the Church may need them, I 
do appoint you to fill the office of trustees, according to 
the Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

" William Shanks, Presiding Elder." 

The certificate on the back of this paper runs thus : 

" Came into the office June 25, 1833 ; recorded in 
book A, 2d volume, page 254, number 28. 

"John Douthett, R. C. C. 

Two of these trustees lived in the country, as there 
were not a sufficient number of male members in town 
to constitute a board. 

The time of the building of the first church on Wall 
Street will be indicated by the following memoranda. 
Having been informed that James Keigwin, one of the 
trustees, had done most of the work on the Church, and 
perhaps had full knowledge of all the particulars, I ad- 
dressed a note to him, a short time before his death, ask- 
ing him to communicate any information he might pos- 
sess upon the subject. The following is a copy of the 
letter, in reply to my inquiries : 

" Louisville, Septeffiher 10, 1860 

" Dr. Curran, — Dear Sir: At your request, I here- 
with submit a statement of facts in regard to the Meth- 
odist church in Jeffersonville, of which I agreed to do 
the brick-work as my subscription toward building the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 177 

same, which, at the customary prices of the time, 
amounted to $516.28 ; but after the foundation was laid, 
ready for the joists, I found the building would be 
stopped unless I procured them myself, which I did. 
Below, you will find a statement. 

" AMOUNT OVER REGULAR SUBSCRIPTION. 

1833. November 13— To Mr. Young's Bill $48 03^ 

" 13— To James Ridge, for Plank 5 28 

" 13— To two boxes Glass , 8 00 

1834. December 9 — To turning Column and Plank 10 15 

1835. June 22— To making five Window-frames 6 561- 

" 30— To Messrs. Ames and King's Bill 19 20 

Recording Deed 1 00 

One-third of E. TuUey's Carpenter's Bill Ifi 00 

114 22f 
Add amount for Brick-work 516 28^^ 



Total $630 511- 

" James Keigwin." 

This record shows that the old church wfis not fin- 
ished until the Summer of 1835. When the question of 
building the present church was first agitated, there was 
a conflict of opinion about the place of its location. 
After a free discussion of the subject by the Avhole 
Church, the present location was unanimously agreed 
upon; the ground being doubly consecrated, having been 
occupied by the private residence in which the first soci- 
ety was organized and afterward met*. The lecture-room 
of this church was dedicated to the service of Almighty 
God by the Hev. Thomas Bowman, D. D., President of 
Indiana Asbury University, April 22, 1860. On the 
16th day of July, 1865, the main audience-room of the 
Wall-street Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated 
to the service of God, by the Rev. T. M. Eddy, D. D., 
in the use of our beautiful ritual. The Wall-street 
Church, true to her traditional loyalty to the advice and 
counsel of our highest Church authorities, with regard to 

12 



178 INDIANA METHODISM. 

the celebration of the Centenary of American Methodism, 
labored to carry out the programme as nearly as possible. 
It is well known we have no rich men in our Church 
here, and yet we think the offering was not to be de- 
spised. We here give a statement of the aggregated 
amount :. 

For Centenary Educational Fund $40 00 

Garrett Biblical Institute , 10 00 

Irish Connectional Fund 25 00 

Sunday-school Children's Fund 16 00 

Indiana Asbury University 1,012 00 

Moore's Hill College 147 00 

Public Collection 7 25 

Total $1,259 25 

PRESENT STATISTICS. 

Population of Jeffersonville ....7,209 

Full Members in Wall-street 425 

Probationers 75 

Port Fulton Population 649 

Full Members 72 

Probationers 14 

NEW ALBANY. 

Methodism was organized in New Albany in 1817. 
The first church was built in 1818, and dedicated by 
Rev. John Schrader. The sacrament of the Lord's-sup- 
per was administered, for the first time in New Albany, 
by Rev. John Schrader, in 1817. The service was held 
in a tavern kept by Mrs. Hannah Ruff. Now the Meth- 
odists have the following churches : Wesley Chapel, Cen- 
tenary, Roberts, M'Kendree, and John-street, with an 
aggregate membership of over 1,400. De Pauw College, 
for young ladies, is an ornament to the city, a credit to 
Methodism, and an honor to the large-hearted Christian 
gentleman whose name it bears. New Albany Meth- 
odism is more expansive at present than at any former 
time. She is now establishing three mission churches 
in the city — one under the care of Wesley Chapel, to 



INDIANA METHODISM. 179 

cost $1,200, and two under the care of Centenary 
Church. Hon. W. C. De Pauw, to whom the Church is 
indebted for numerous liberal donations, has recently 
purchased the old St. Paul's Episcopal Church, removed 
it to the eastern part of the city, and refitted it, at a 
cost of $2,500, including the lot. The Churches give 
indications of growing zeal, and a prosperous future. 

METHODISM IN RICHMOND AND VICINITY. 

BY REV. THOMAS COMSTOCK. 

At the treaty of Greenville a large portion of terri- 
tory was purchased from the Indians, extending from 
the mouth of the Kentucky River (opposite * Madison) 
to Fort Recovery, now situated in the edge of Ohio, 
about midway of the eastern boundary of the state — all 
of which territory belonged to Dearborn County, Indiana 
Territory. The first settlement in that portion of it 
which was afterward Wayne County, began in 1804. 

Methodism, " the child of Providence," anticipating 
the moral necessities of the people, as well as the per- 
manent growth of the country, recognizing the voice 
of the living God in the " Go ye into all the world," 
of Jesus, kept pace with the westward march of empire. 

Rev. Hugh Cull, a local preacher, born of Roman 
Catholic parents in Havre-de-Grace, Maryland, October, 
1757, removed, with his father, to the Redstone country, 
Pennsylvania, in 1763, and to the place on which Lex- 
ington, Kentucky, now stands, in 1777; thence to Henry 
County, Kentucky, in 1785, where he married Miss 
Rachel Meek, a devoted Methodist girl of sixteen, 
through whose consistent Christian life, under Christ, he 
was brought to feel the need of a Savior, found peace in 
believing, and in a few months was licensed to preach. 
Feeling the wrongs and oppression of slavery, and 



180 INDIANA METHODISM. 

having no hope that Kentucky would ever become a 
free state, he resolved to go North, and, if possible, either 
get beyond the latitude where the institution would be 
profitable, or where the moral atmosphere would extir- 
pate the evil. In 1804, he entered one hundred and 
sixty acres of land four and a half miles south of where 
Richmond now stands ; and, in 1805, moved his family, 
consisting of his wife and Patience, her niece, upon it; 
where they all sojourned until, one by one, the Master 
called for them. • 

A few months afterward, he dreamed that a Meth- 
odist preacher rode up to his tent ; and, on the follow- 
ing day, while he and his wife were picking and burn- 
ing brush, they saw a stranger approaching on horse- 
back. Mr. Cull said to his wife, "Rachel, there's the 
preacher;" and throwing down his load of brush, he 
made for the stranger, grasped his hand, and inquired 
if he was not a Methodist preacher. It was no other 
than Rev. Arthur W. Elliott, who had heard that there 
was a settlement forming somewhere in the upper "White- 
water country, and had come across from Hamilton, 
Ohio^ through the woods, without a road, to spy out the 
country for Christ. Though they were strangers in the 
flesh, the meeting was not unlike that of Jonathan and 
David. Providentially, Mr. Elliott was directed through 
the wilderness to a Methodist family singularly prepared 
by the Lord to receive him, whose expectation being 
that of the righteous, could not perish. He was wel- 
come to their hospitalities, and invited to share a place 
in their earthly mansion, which never lacked room and 
other accommodations for a servant of God, though it 
was only six feet high, covered Avith bark, without 
window or floor, Brussels carpet, or even a split-bot- 
tomed chair, or any other furnishing or furniture, which 



INDIANA METHODISM. 181 

"she that layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands 
hold the distaff," or the woodman with his ax, had not 
made, with only three sides, sugar-camp like, having an 
open front; yet it contained all the essentials of an 
earthly paradise, made and fashioned after the pattern 
of the heavenl}'-, " the light of the world " shining into 
it, being filled with the love of Christ in the hearts 
of its possessors. Mr. Cull, after providing for his guest 
and weary creature, hastened over the settlement and 
announced the " glad tidings " of preaching at his house 
on the next day. His neighbors came from several 
miles around, to the number of twelve or fifteen, and 
listened to the first sermon ever preached, in that region 
of country. After preaching, there being no class to 
lead, and believing in sowing Avith one hand and reaping 
with the other, he proceeded, in apostolical, Methodistic 
style, to organize a Church out of the handful of hearers. 
The invitation was given, and six persons came forward, 
and were formed into a Church-class, Avith Mr. Cull as 
their leader. They were. Rev. Hugh and Mrs. Rachel 
Cull, Peter and Mrs. Martha Weaver, Jacob and Mrs. 
Nellie Meek ; and afterward met regularly for preach- 
ing, class and prayer meetings, at Mr. Cull's. 

The new society, thus formed, was f^ivored with 
regular preaching, at rather long intervals, if judged 
by the present, from Mr. Elliott, during his stay on the 
circuit, in which Hamilton, Ohio, was situated. The 
next year Mr. Cull was apprised of the time when the 
new preacher would be at Hamilton, and, fearing that 
he could not readily find his way to the new appoint- 
ment, met him there, and conducted him to his cabin 
home. Mr. Cull, from the organization of the class, 
preached also regularly, in his own house and at other 
places. . 



182 INDIANA METHODISM. 

^ In 1807, Whitewater Circuit was formed, with Rev. 

Thomas Heliums as preacher; but, as far as can be ascer- 
tained, he confined his labors to the southern part of the 
strip of territory, where he was quite successful, and 
reported, at the close of the year, sixty-seven members. 

In 1808, Rev. Joseph Williams was appointed to the 
Whitewater Circuit, and took in the class at Mr. Cull's, 
which was given up by the Ohio preachers on his 
coming to the circuit. Circuit preaching was kept up 
at Mr. Cull's for nineteen years, from 1805 to 1824, 
when it was removed to the house of James P. Burgess, 
afterward a local preacher, about a mile north, where 
it was continued until 1848, when a neat, commodious 
brick church was erected in the neighborhood. Mr. 
Cull, in speaking of Mr. Elliott's first coming, said to 
a friend: "Uncle Jim, you don't know how my soul 
jumped ; for as far as I could see him coming through 
the woods, I knew he was a preacher." 

Father Cull, as he was called in later life, was a de- 
voted disciple of Christ, and traveled somewhat exten- 
sively as a local preacher, sometimes supplying the place 
of the itinerant for a round, or a part of the year. He 
was acceptable wherever he went, and was known as the 
weeping preacher. At Concord camp-meeting he was to 
preach at 9 o'clock A. M., on Sabbath. After singing 
and prayer, he announced for his text Job xix, 25, 
and commenced to read it. '' I know," and then said, 
"Glory!" Repeating, "I know," he said, in a louder 
tone, " Glory !" Again repeating " I know," he shouted, 
at the top of his voice, "Glory, glory,' glory!" and, 
covering his fice with both hands, wept like a child. 
The presiding elder. Rev. Robert Burns, asked him if 
he should read the text, to which he assented. He 
then introduced his subject by saying that, "Job was 



INDIANA METHODISM. 183 

no Campbellite — glory ! — for he knew— glory ! — that his 
Redeemer lived — glory!" and preached a melting ser- 
mon to a weeping congregation. 

In view of his stern integrity, ability, and moral up- 
rightness, clearly discerning the evils of slavery, he was 
elected to the Constitutional Convention, in 1816, which 
place he filled with true Christian dignity, and to the 
honor and satisfaction of his constituents. 

He continued to preach within a year of his death, 
and fell asleep in Jesus — whispering the oft-repeated 
words, "Glory, glory, glory!" — August 30, 1862, "in a 
good old age, an old man, and full of years," aged one 
hundred and four years and ten months, in the sixty- 
fifth year of his ministry; and was buried in the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church-yard, where a most beautiful 
marble monument marks the resting-place of himself, 
wife, and niece. 

The Lord graciously honored the members of this 
first Methodist class with a good old age, and peaceful, 
if not triumphant, death. Mrs. Weaver was the only 
one that died comparatively young, being about fifty-five, 
while Mrs. Meek and Mrs. Cull bordered on ninety. 
Mr. Weaver Avas in his ninety-seventh year, and Mr. 
Meek was nearing his ninety-ninth birthday. They 
were permitted to look far down the stream of life, and 
share in the triumphs of many a long and hard-fought 
battle. 

During Rev. Mr. Williams's conference year, in 1808, 
Meek's Meeting-house -was built, about four miles south- 
west from Richmond, and was among the first in Indiana. 
The total membership, from the Ohio River north, on the 
eastern boundary of Indiana Territory, to a few miles 
above where Richmond is located, was one hundred andi 
sixty-five whites and one colored. 



184 INDIANA METHODISM. 

In 1810, a camp-meeting was held near Meek's Meet- 
ing-house, John Sale, Presiding Elder; Thomas Nelson 
and Samuel H. Thompson, preachers on the circuit, which 
was one of the first, if not the fir d^ ever held in Indiana. 

In 1819, James P. Burgess, seeing the growing evils 
of intemperance, wrote a temperance pledge, signed it 
himself, and solicited his neighbors to do likewise. Its 
provisions would be somewhat novel in these days of tee- 
totalism, when we have learned better how to treat the 
wily foe, and were as follows : 

1. Beer was not considered intoxicating, hence not 
mentioned. 

2. Wine, rum, gin, brandy, and all other foreign li- 
quors, were left out of the schedule of prohibited drinks, 
because they cost money ; and there being so little of 
that commodity in the country, there was little danger of 
becoming intoxicated on beverages so costly. 

3. The only prohibited article was tvhisky, and of that 
they were at liberty to take a dram every morning. 

It created quite a stir in the neighborhood, and many 
saw that, in signing the pledge, their social and national 
liberties would not only be abridged but jeopardized; 
and others refused because there was no exception in 
harvest ; so that, between the two, only a few pledged 
themselves to total abstinence. 

The work enlarged, and from the small beginning of 
the local preacher, with a class of five other members, 
in 1805, we see the meeting-house erected in 1808 ; the 
camp-meeting in 1810, where the multitudes worshiped 
in the temple not made with hands ; the- temperance 
movement, inaugurated in 1819, but as yet no gathering 
of the children and adults into the Sunday-school. This 
was not long to continue. In 1822, an itinerant Sunday- 
; school, or rather, Bible-class, was formed (it being exclu- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 185 

sively for adults) in the neighborhood of Mr. Cull's, by 
Rev. James Martin, a Baptist minister, and James P. 
Burgess, the latter being superintendent. It continued 
only a part of the Summer. In 1825, J. P. Burgess or- 
ganized a regular Sunday-school for adults, and children 
that could read in the New Testament ; which w^as not 
only the first Methodist Sunday-school in that region, but 
the first real Sunday-school of which children formed a 
part. It was organized in a school-house, two and one- 
half miles south of Richmond. People came to this 
Sunday-school, on pleasant days, from eight to ten miles 
around, and from Ohio. They often had to take the 
benches out of the school-house, and place them on either 
side of some logs near by, when the superintendent 
would open the school by singing out of the Church 
hymn-book, and praying. After that, there being no in- 
fant classes, all were put into one class, Avith the super- 
intendent as the only teacher. They read sometimes 
one, two, or three chapters, and closed with singing and 
prayer. 

The organization of the first class and Church, and 
other unpublished facts stated in the foregoing, were re- 
ceived personally from Rev. James P. Burgess and wife, 
who were married fifty years ago, and are living on the 
old homestead which her father, Jacob Meek, entered, 
who was one of the members of the first class, she being 
then (in 1805) only three years old. A sister, seven 
years older, also corroborates the above statements. 

We have thus casually noticed the beginnings of 
Methodism in Wayne County, and now turn our attention 
especially to the cause in Richmond. 

In 1806, Andrew Hoover, John Smith, and Jeremiah 
Cox, members of the Society of Friends, having emi- 
grated from North Carolina a few years before, with some 



186 INDIANA METHODISM, 

otherSj who were chiefly Friends, settled permanently in 
the immediate vicinity where Richmond is located, and 
John Smith entered the land south of Main Street. A 
number of wealthy families having settled within a few 
miles, they formed a nucleus for a Quaker settlement. 
Emigration set in rapidly, and it was but a short time 
until the country was, what was then termed, filled with 
the friends of peace. With increased emigration, and 
the rapid improvement of the country, a Quaker town 
was a necessity. Hence, in 1816, John Smith and Jer- 
emiah Cox laid off the village of Richmond, which grew 
rapidly for those days, and soon became, what it contin- 
ues to be, the largest town or city in that part of the 
state. 

From 1805, when the first Methodist Church organi- 
zation Avas effected, until 1822, there had been regular 
Methodist preaching in Wayne County, and the member- 
ship had been many times multiplied at compound rates ; 
but as yet no special effort had been made to introduce 
Methodism into Richmond. Indeed, the ground seemed 
to be so preoccupied by the Friends, that there was but 
little left uncultivated, and that little was so completely 
under their influence, that it seemed almost impossible to 
get a foot-hold. 

Another reason why special efforts had not been made 
before, was the Macedonian cry that was heard from 
"the region beyond," calling for laborers, where there 
were no Church privileges, and among many families who 
were without, and never had, a copy of the Bible. The 
voice of the Master Avas, " Go ye into all the world," 
which had been paraphrased and incorporated in their 
Book of Discipline thus : " Go always, not only to those 
that want you, but to those that want you most." Be- 
lieving that Methodism, in its essential principles, was to 



INDIANA METHODISM. 187 

take the world for Jesus, and the surrounding country 
having been faithfully cultivated, Rev. Russel Bigelow, 
in 1822, introduced it into Richmond. The opposition 
was intense, the Friends considering that any of their 
families would be disgraced by attending Methodist meet- 
ing; others participated in kindred feelings, and there 
being no Methodist fjimilies in the place, no private house 
could be obtained in Avhich to hold services. There re- 
mained only one chance, which was, to get the school- 
house. After considerable delay, with great reluctance, 
permission was granted to occupy the little school-house, 
where, in a short time, a class of seven members was or- 
ganized, composed of George Smith, Sarah Smith, Mary 
B. Smith, Rachel S. Smith, Stephen Thomas, Margaret 
Thomas, and the Widow Pierson, of which George Smith 
was the leader. The opposition to the work of the Lord 
through the Methodists, from the Friends and infidels, 
became so powerful that, in a little while, they were pro- 
hibited from using the school-house, Avhen, for a short 
time, they occupied the house of Mrs. Pierson, until she 
left Richmond ; and then, there being no other place 
which could be obtained, preaching, as well as other 
Methodist meetings, were discontinued for the time being. 

The spirit of vital Christianity could not long endure 
the restrictions placed upon it by its erring friends, or 
avowed enemies. Hence, during the conference year 
of 1825, under the leadership of Rev. James Havens, 
th^ residence of Isaac Jackson was secured for Church 
services, preaching was resumed, another class organized, 
and services have continued without interruption to the 
present. 

On the reorganization of the class, and the re-estab- 
lishing of regular preaching, hostilities commenced anew 
against what many were pleased to call " a hireling min- 



188 INDIANA METHODISM. 

istry" and a "shouting membership." But the Lord 
owned and blessed the hibors of his servants to such 
an extent that in 1828 they were able to sustain a two- 
days' meeting. The influence of Methodism on the 
morals of the people in the surrounding country had 
been such as by this time to allay somewhat the intense 
opposition of a few of the more liberal-minded Friends, 
as well as others, and permission was obtained to hold 
the two-days' meeting, and to continue regular services, 
in the brick school-house. Rev. S. H. Beggs was on the 
circuit, and the meeting w^as a glorious success for the 
cause of Christ, such as had never before been witnessed 
by the Richmondites; but which, through the grace of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, was to be repeated time and 
again, until there should be a shaking among the dry 
bones of a dead, formal Church, as well as among the 
open adversaries of a Bible Christianity. The more the 
Lord manifested his power in saving souls, the more 
intense was the opposition, especially from infidels and 
Hicksite Friends — the Friends' Society having divided 
in 1827 — with but few exceptions even among the 
orthodox Friends. Infidelity and the world united, on 
the one hand, with a formal Christianity on the other, as 
a bulwark, behind which the former could take refuge, 
marshaled such a combination of forces as to be almost 
irresistible. These forces were publicly and privately 
brought to bear on the occupation of the school-house by 
the Methodists, who were the first among the Churches 
to invade the quiet of Quakerism by seeking to establish 
themselves in their midst. And they were again left 
without a home. Truthfully they could say: "We are 
troubled on every side, yet not distressed ; we are per- 
plexed, but not in despair ; persecuted, but not for- 
saken; cast down [out], but not d-estroyed." Nothing 



INDIANA METHODISM. 189 

daunted, with prayerful hearts the}^ took the case to the 
Lord ; and a buihling, not very suitable, was obtained 
from James Henry, which was made to answer the pur- 
pose, until it became too small for a family of one of the 
tribes of Israel to inhabit. 

Necessity was upon them. They could not expect 
any favors from the authorities, neither were they dis- 
posed to ask any, having been so summarily dealt with 
on former occasions. Hence they determined to build 
a house of their own for the Lord. They secured the 
lot on which Pearl-street Methodist Episcopal Church 
now stands, and proceeded at once to erect a frame 
church, with stone basement in the rear, which, after 
subscribing and re-subscribing on the part of all the 
members, and the few friends who were favorably dis- 
posed, they succeeded in finishing so far that they 
could occupy it for a two-days' meeting ; and these were 
the only dedicatory exercises, for the first church built 
in Richmond, aside from the Friends. 

This was in 1831, and Revs. Asa Beck and Richard 
S. Robinson were on the circuit. The latter was the 
junior preacher, and it fell to his lot to be at Richmond 
and carry on the services, with the help of local breth- 
ren, who were always on hand at such special occasions. 
Arrangements had been made with Rev. Mr. Baughman 
to come over from Eaton and assist. The opposers 
of Methodism in Richmond had not forgotten the former 
two-days' meeting, held in the brick school-house, when 
the truth preached as it was in Christ, became as fiery 
bomb-shells, disturbing the quiet, formal worshiper, sit- 
ting " at ease in Zion," as well as waking up the sinner, 
sleeping in his sins on the verge of perdition ; and they 
resolved, if possible, to prevent the like occurrence ; but 
had to devise other means than formerly, as they had 



190 INDIANA METHODISM. 

no power to close the doors of those who worshiped 
"under their own vine and fig-tree." As Mr. Baugh- 
man was to come from Eaton, Ohio, it was currently 
reported by a few leading infidels, then heralded by 
others throughout the community, that "the small-pox 
was raging there," and that it would be at the risk of in- 
troducing that loathsome disease should he be permitted 
to come. A "Board of Health" was hastily appointed, 
in view of two such fearful visitations as the small-pox 
and a Methodist two-days meeting ; and the families who 
were expected to entertain guests coming from a dis- 
tance were informed of the sad state of affairs, while the 
road from Eaton to Richmond was duly guarded. These 
reports were rife throughout the town; and on Satur- 
day morning, with sad hearts, the few Methodists of 
Richmond met those from the country, who came to 
attend the meeting at the new church, and talked over 
the situation. Mr. Robinson, nothing daunted, preached 
in the morning and evening, with extraordinary unction 
from on high, and held the love-feast Sabbath morning, 
expecting to preach the morning sermon, when, to the 
surprise of all, Mr. Baughman made his appearance. 
The effect was electrical, and went like wild-fire through 
the community. Satan outdid himself, " the wrath of 
man " was made to praise God ; for the house was soon 
filled with friend and foe to overflowing, regardless of 
small-pox, Methodist meeting, or any thing else; and the 
power of God was revealed, while his servant preached, 
"with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven," on 
Isaiah liii, 1: "Who hath believed our report, and to 
whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ?" The gates 
of infidelity Avere carried away; a Samson had taken 
hold of its " middle pillars," while the children of God 
wept and "rejoiced with exceeding great joy." The 



INDIANA METHODISM. 191 

masterly effort in the morning brought the crowd to 
hear the Gospel message at night, when both the power 
and glory of God were manifested in the conviction and 
conversion of souls, resulting, at the close of the meet- 
ing on Monday, in the accession of thirty-two members 
to the Methodist Episcopal Church, most of whom had 
been converted during the meeting. The meeting, with 
its glorious results, created a great commotion among 
the infidel portion of community and the staid Friends, 
who thought the work was too speedily accomplished to 
be fi'om God, or to be countenanced by his people. The 
latter have since learned, by a better acquaintance with 
Methodists and their usages, and the teachings of the 
Gospel, the truth taught by the Master, "Other sheep 
I have, which are not of this fold," and rejoice in the 
prosperity of Zion among the other formerly unrecog- 
nized tribes of Israel. 

The most determined, yet not exclusive, opposition 
to Methodism, during these years of struggle for a bare 
existence in Richmond, was from infidels and Hicksite 
Friends, or those sympathizing with their views — the 
latter being only a stepping-stone to the former, while 
both united in rejecting the atonement, with all the 
essential principles growing out of and clustering around 
the same. The Sabbath, never very sacredly guarded, 
even by the old or orthodox Friends, fared badly at the 
hands of the Hicksites, as may be seen from the follow- 
ing incident : Mr. C, a Methodist, settled in their midst, 
and, desiring to raise his family to have due respect for 
the Sabbath, he was troubled on account of his Hicksite 
Friends hauling saw-logs through his place on the Sab- 
bath. After praying over the matter, and reflecting 
upon it, he said to his neighbors that he wanted to live 
peaceably among them, but if they continued to haul 



192 INDIANA METHODISM. 

logs through his land on that day, he would feel under 
the necessity of reporting them to the proper author- 
ities. They responded : "We also want to live peace- 
ably, and on friendly terms with thee; and if it is 
against thy principles that work should be done on the 
First Day, we will desist hauling logs through thy place 
on that day; but thee must remember that we do so, not 
because we regard the day, but because it is annoying 
to thee." 

To return to our subject. The second two-days' 
meeting in its own house was the crossing of the Ru- 
bicon for Methodism in Richmond, from which it never 
went back. It was to it the day of Pentecost — to be 
repeated until, by the power of God, it stood head and 
shoulders above its enemies, who were compelled ever 
afterward, though in heart they despised it, to have 
some respect for it, by recognizing it as a power for 
good in the community, and according it at least an ex- 
istence. In the same year (1831) the first Sabbath- 
school ever organized in Richmond was organized by 
the Methodists in their own church. The Orthodox 
Friends followed with a Bible-class, which they termed 
a Sunday-school, in 1832 — afterward taking the regular 
form of a Sunday-school. 

By the blessing of God, Methodism grew and waxed 
strong in the (im) friendly soil of Richmond, until the 
frame church must give way to something better, larger, 
and more durable. In 1851, a new brick building was 
erected, on the same ground, superior to any other in the 
city, and one among the largest and finest churches then 
in the state ; with stone basement for Sunday-school and 
class-rooms, over which Avas a fine audience-room — all of 
which were tastefully finished. 

The vine of Methodism had taken such deep root. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 193 

and its leaven had so permeated community, that its spa- 
cious building was not sufficient to accommodate all Avho 
desired at least to be under its influence in the services 
of the sanctuary. This, with the growth of the city, and 
the somewhat diversity of tastes, led to the withdrawal 
of forty-two members from Pearl Street, and the forma- 
tion of a second Methodist charge. They purchased 
Star Hall, on Main Street ; had it refitted, and took the 
name of Union Chapel, in September, 1858. The chapel 
was dedicated by Dr. D. W. Clark, in October, and in the 
latter part of the month Rev. J. V. H. Miller, a transfer 
from the South-eastern Indiana Conference, was Avith 
them as their first preacher. 

The new charge, composed of a few leading men, as 
William Gr. Scott, Isaac D. Dunn, A. A. Curme, William 
Bayless, Gr. Price, Douay M. M'Means, and others, Avent 
to Avork in earnest for their Master. Some of them 
being Eastern people, they adopted their OAvn peculiari- 
ties, and had their church-peAved family sittings, and in- 
strumental music. 

From the number of members in Pearl Street, and 
their devotion to Christ, they Avere able to move on Avith- 
out embarrassment, and soon filled up the places of those 
who, though they had gone out from them, yet Avere one 
with them in cultivating the Adneyard of the Master. 

The vine planted by the Lord in Union Chapel, so 
grcAv in devotion to God, numbers, and Avealth, that in 
the Spring of 1867, they proceeded to erect a ncAV church 
building, called Grace Church, on the corner of Seventh 
Street and BroadAvay, in the heart of the finest part of 
the city, Avhich Avas duly finished, and dedicated to the 
worship of Almighty God, near the close of 1869. 
When completed, it Avas not only the most conveniently 
arranged, Avith basement and audience-room, and the 

13 



194 INDIANA METHODISM. 

finest church in the city, but was excelled only by a few 
in the state. 

During this time, prosperity had also attended the 
old hive at Pearl Street, and their numbers had so in- 
creased that a portion of her members were contemplat- 
ing a new swarm, out of which to make a third charge. 
At this juncture, a discussion arose in reference to instru- 
mental music being introduced into the congregation, 
which had already been introduced into the Sunday- 
school. It was eventually brought in, and some who op- 
posed it took exceptions, not so much to the music as to 
the manner in which it was voted in, being by the trust- 
ees, instead of leaving it to the vote of the entire mem- 
bership. Consequently, David Sands, Barton Wyatt, D. 
D. Lesh, Rev. George W. Iliff, William Gersuch, James 
Hamilton, William Byers, and thirty-six others, withdrew 
from Pearl Street, in 1867, and were formed into a new 
charge, called Third Charge. Their organization being 
completed, they secured the German Methodist Episcopal 
Church building to worship in, and Rev. George W. Iliff 
was sent to the session of North Indiana Conference, at 
Anderson, in April, 1867, to request the appointment of 
a minister. Rev. J. C. R. Layton was appointed, came 
on to the work in good spirits, labored faithfully for a 
time, then became discouraged, in view of opposition to 
the cause, and the unsettled financial condition of the 
charge, and resigned at the close of six months. Rev. P. 
Carland, a member of the South-eastern Indiana Confer- 
ence, who had been in the service of the country, had just 
returned; and desiring to be transferred ta North Indiana 
Conference, was appointed pastor, and remained as such 
for six months, until the conference in 1868. During the 
fore part of the session of this conference, David Sands 
and Barton Wyatt bought Union Chapel, the Third 



INDIANA METHODISM. 195 

Charge having been notified that they couhl only occupy 
the German Methodist Episcopal Church a few months 
longer; and Mr. Sands appeared at the seat of Confer- 
ence, greatly encouraged, to make known the fact, and 
ask for the continuance of the charge, under the name of 
Central, it occupying a central position on Main Street. 
Rev. C. W. Miller was appointed pastor, and during his 
second year, in view of pewing Grace Church, seventy- 
seven members, a number of whom were earnest work- 
ers, withdrew because the trustees would not leave the 
question to the vote of the entire membership, and united 
w^ith Central, thus making it almost equal to Grace 
Church in numbers, and equal to either in a devoted, ear- 
nest, working membership. The three charges in Rich- 
mond are in a prosperous condition, steadily progressing, 
each containing an active, devoted membership, with 
faithful pastors leading on the hosts of Israel. 

From the little band of seven members, in 1822, w^ith 
staff in hand, sojourning from house to house, sometimes 
without any home (until 1831), with the enemy pressing 
hard from all quarters to destroy, Methodism, under the 
guidance of the " Captain of Salvation," steadily pro- 
gressed, surmounting difficulties of almost every kind, 
until — changing the words but little — her votaries may 
say, with Jacob (Genesis, xxxii, 10) : "We are not worthy 
of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which 
thou hast showed unto thy servants ; for with our staff 
we passed over into the city, and now we are become 
three bands," numbering over eight hundred communi- 
cants, with three Sabbath-schools, numbering nearly one 
thousand attendants, well organized, with energetic offi- 
cers and an efficient corps of teachers, — all worshiping 
God under their " own vine and fig-tree," with a Church 
property worth over seventy thousand dollars. 



196 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Methodism, as represented by the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, leaving out the other tAvo organizations, has 
not only kept pace with the material growth and numer- 
ical population of the city, and other Churches, but has 
surpassed both city and Churches. With a city of less 
than ten thousand census inhabitants, over one-twelfth of 
them are in the yearly census of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, and over one-eleventh of her population are 
members of her Sunday-school organizations, all of 
which, meeting at the same hour, none of them are du- 
plicated in the enumeration. Behold, ^^what hath God 
wrought!" 

INDIANAPOLIS. 

Indianapolis Circuit was organized by Rev. William 
Cravens in the Fall of 1821, he having received his 
appointment from the Missouri Conference, at its session 
in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in October, 1821; Samuel 
Hamilton being the presiding elder. There is no record 
of the metes and bounds of the circuit as it was or- 
ganized by Cravens, but it included all the settlements 
in Central Indiana. He was succeeded, in the Fall of 
1822, by James Scott; and, in the Fall of 1823, Jesse 
Haile and George Horn were appointed to Indianapolis 
Circuit. The circuit then extended east to the Ohio 
Conference boundary, which was a line due north from 
the city of Madison. Greensburg, in Decatur County, 
and the settlements on Flat Eock and Blue River, from 
the vicinity of Columbus as far north as any settlements 
extended, were all in Indianapolis Circuit, and also the 
settlements on Fall Creek and White River. 

Rev. Joseph Cotton, of South-eastern Indiana Con- 
ference, who was raised on Blue River, in the northern 
part of Shelby County, and whose parents were Bap- 
tists, attributes the fact of his being a Methodist to a 



INDIANA METHODISM. 197 

visit of Jesse Haile's to his father's house in 1824, when 
he was a small boy. Mr. Haile came across his father's 
cabin in the woods one forenoon. His father was out in 
the clearing. Haile entered into conversation with his 
mother on the subject of religion ; inquired if they were 
religious, and if there was any preaching in the neigh- 
borhood. Mrs. Cotton informed him that she was a 
member of the Baptist Church, but that her husband 
was not a professor of religion. She proposed to blow 
the horn and call her husband to the house ; but the 
preacher objected, saying he did not wish to call him 
from his work, but if the little boy would go with him 
to the clearing, he would go out and see him. Accord- 
ingly, little Joseph accompanied the preacher out to the 
clearing, and the preacher talked to him so kindly and 
tenderly, explaining to him how to be good, that he felt 
to love him. Finding Mr. Cotton engaged in chopping 
up a tree-top, instead of asking him to sit down and talk 
with him, the preacher picked up and piled the brush, 
while Mr. Cotton cut it off; meanwhile telling him who 
he was, and talking to him about personal religion, until 
the horn blew for dinner, when of course the preacher 
was invited to dinner ; and, as a matter of course, before 
dinner, was presented with the whisky-bottle ; and his 
refusal to take a dram nearly broke the friendship so 
suddenly formed. Kindly, but firmly, the preacher de- 
clined the bottle. He asked a blessing at the table; 
the first that young Cotton had ever heard. After 
dinner he asked for a Bible, read a chapter, giving a 
brief commentary upon it as he read ; making it a sort 
of family sermon. He then prayed with them, and for 
each member of the family; and when he bade them 
farewell, he left his blessing with them, and, putting his 
hand on the head of little Joseph, said, " God bless you, 



198 INDIANA METHODISM. 

and may you be a good boy and a good man." That 
visit made a Methodist of the little boy, who has for 
many years been an efficient minister, although his 
father's family, and all his relations, continued to be 
Baptists. 

The first place of worship in Indianapolis was a log- 
house ; used, also, as a school-house, and situated on 
Maryland, between Meridian and Illinois Streets. In the 
Fall of 1824, John Miller was appointed to Indianapolis 
Circuit. 

The first society that was organized in Indianapolis 
was composed of the following members : Robert Bren- 
ton, Sarah Brenton, Mary Brenton, James Given, Mar- 
garet Given, Mrs. Dan. Stevens, and Elizabeth Paxton. 
Mr. Brenton was the class-leader. He was also a 
licensed exhorter, a man of character and ability. He 
was the father of Bev. and Hon. Samuel Brenton, whose 
character and services are elsewhere noticed. This 
society was organized in 1821, by Bev. William Cra- 
vens. The first Gospel sermon ever preached in Indian- 
apolis was preached by Bev. Bezin Hammond, a local 
preacher from Clarke County. It was preached under a 
Walnut-tree, just south of the state-house. The first 
Sunday-school was a Union School, organized in 1822, 
and conducted in a cabinet-maker's shop, owned by Mr. 
Scudder, situated on Washington Street, opposite the 
state-house. The teachers were, Mr. Scudder, James 
M. Bay, J. N. Phipps, John Wilkins, Samuel Brenton, 
C. J. Hand, Samuel Merrell, Lismond Bassey, Elizabeth 
Paxton, and Margaret Given. The schooKwas divided 
in 1825, and the Methodists organized theirs in their 
place of worship. Wesley Chapel was built in 1826, on 
the corner of Meridian and Circle Streets, where the 
Sentinel building now is. It was taken down, and a 



INDIANA METHODISM. 199 

larger church erected in 1845, which continued to be 
occupied until 1870, when it was sold, and the present 
stone church erected, on the corner of Meridian and 
New York Streets; and the charge has taken the name 
of Meridian-street Church. 

At the session of the Indiana Conference in Center- 
ville, in 1842, the Church in Indianapolis was divided 
into two charges. The second charge was organized in 
the court-house, and had John S. Bayless for its first 
pastor. The charges were designated as Western and 
Eastern, and were divided by Meridian Street. L. W. 
Berry was pastor of the Western charge, and John S. 
Bayless of the Eastern. Asbury Church, situated on 
New Jersey Street, near South Street, was the third 
charge. Strange Chapel, whose history has been a re- 
markably strange one, was the fourth charge. For some 
years it was a part of West Indianapolis Circuit. The 
church stood on the west side of the canal. It was 
finally made a separate charge, the church building 
moved on to North Tennessee Street, refitted, and a 
comfortable parsonage built on the same lot with the 
church. In 1869, the church and parsonage were sold, 
and a larger brick church built on the corner of Tennes- 
see and Michigan Streets. This church was consumed 
by fire in 1871; and Avith that conflagration ends the 
name and legal existence of Strange Chapel. In 1870, 
Indiana Conference appointed Bev. L. M. Walters to 
that charge. A majority of the Church declined to re- 
ceive him as their pastor. The Church authorities fail- 
ing to interfere for their relief, and make any change, 
they organized themselves into an independent, or con- 
gregational Church, rented the Universalist church build- 
ing, just across the street, and called Rev. J. W. T. 
M'Mullen as their pastor, who served them for a few 



200 INDIANA METHODISM. 

months ; but not being willing to sever his connection 
with the Methodist Episcopal Church, he declined to re- 
main. The most of them resumed their places in the 
Methodist Episcopal Chm'ch ; attaching themselves to 
such charges as suited their convenience. Those who 
accepted Mr. Walters as their pastor, having obtained a 
part of the value of the Strange Chapel property that 
Avas consumed by fire, purchased an eligible site on the 
corner of California and North Streets, and have erected 
a good church ; the new organization taking the name 
of California-street Church. The other charges have 
been organized in the following order : Trinity, Third- 
street, Ames, Grace, Massachusetts-avenue. 

Grace was organized by a division of Roberts Chapel, 
in 1869. Massachusetts-avenue Church was organized 
in 1870, and was composed chiefly of members from the 
United Brethren in Christ, who Avere dissatisfied with the 
action of their Church in prohibiting their members from 
belonging to secret societies, as Masons, Odd-fellows, 
and Sons of Temperance. Rev. A. Hanway, their first 
pastor, also came from the United Brethren. The charge 
.has been continuously prosperous since its organization. 
They have built them a neat frame church, and have a 
\well-organized Church and Sabbath-school. 

The German Methodist Church was organized about 
1850. John B. Stump, Austin W. Morris, William Han- 
naman, Henry Tutewiler, and another German brother, 
•constituted the first Board of Trustees. They built a 
small, one-story brick church on East Ohio, between New 
Jersey and East Streets, which was subsequently en- 
larged; and in 1870, was superseded by the present spa- 
cious and elegant church on the corner of East and 
New York Streets. Including two Colored Methodist 
•Churches, there are, in Indianapolis, twelve self-sustaining 



INDIANA METHODISM. 201 

charges, with a membership of 3,200, a Church prop- 
erty worth $283,785, and 4,000 Sabbath-school scholars. 

Of the first society that was organized in Indianapo- 
lis, there are but two survivors : Isaac N. Phipps and 
Elizabeth Paxton, both of whom have been useful and 
active members in the Church since their first connection 
with it. Colonel Paxton — the husband of Mrs. Paxton — 
who has been dead for many years, donated the lot on 
which the Wesley Chapel parsonage was built, and left a 
legacy for the support of superannuated preachers, and 
the widows and orphans of deceased preachers, which 
formed the foundation of the Preachers' Aid Society of 
the Indiana Conference, which, in the course of time, 
became the foundation of similar societies in each of the 
Indiana conferences, and has been the means of accom- 
plishing a large amount of good, and of preventing un- 
told suffering. Mrs. Paxton has abounded in good works 
all through her life. She has been an active worker in 
the City Bible Society, the City Benevolent Society, and 
all of our public charities have been benefited by her 
contributions and her personal efforts. I. N. Phipps con- 
tinues an active steward in the Church. 

Margaret Given was a truly remarkable woman. She 
was the first President of the Indianapolis Female Bible 
Society, and continued to hold the office and efficiently 
discharge its duties till the day of her death, extending 
through a period of nearly fifty years. She had a re- 
markably clear and vigorous intellect, and a capacity for 
business that many a statesman might covet. She was 
always busy and ahvays cheerful, giving most of her time 
to the public, and when nearly eighty years of age would 
do more walking, uncomplainingly, than most young 
women of twenty. 

John Wilkins, who joined the first class, not long 



202 INDIANA METHODISM. 

after its organization, lived to a good old age, and was 
all through life a model man, " diligent in business, fer- 
vent in spirit, serving the Lord." He was liberal to the 
Church and the poor, and a generous patron of education, 
being, for a number of years, one of the trustees of In- 
diana Asbury University. 

Among the " elect ladies" that have been ornaments 
to Methodism in Indianapolis, and Avho have gone to their 
reward, are the names of Margaret Given, Mrs. Alfred 
Harrison, and Mrs. Richmond, the latter of whom, like 
Mrs. Given, was for many years a widow. Mrs. Rich- 
mond was a woman of strong faith. She was gifted in 
prayer and conversation. She was a very active Chris- 
tian, a lady of agreeable manners, and her consistent 
piety gave her great influence in society. Mrs. Harrison 
was less prominent in spiritual matters, but equally use- 
ful in the community. She abounded in good works. 
She gave liberally and constantly to the relief of the 
needy around her. She gave much time and attention, 
and contributed freely, to the founding and building up 
of the Orphan Asylum, in our city. These ladies left the 
savor of a good name, and their instructive example is 
not lost upon those that have come after them; for in no 
community, of the same numbers, can there be found a 
larger number of equally active, intelhgent, and earnest 
female workers, in all appropriate departments of Chris- 
tian work. Indianapolis is eminently fortunate in this 
respect. 

Among the early and faithful workers in the Sunday- 
school cause in Indianapolis, is the name of Calvin 
Fletcher, Esq. Mr. Fletcher was among the early set- 
tlers in Indianapolis. He was a remarkably industri- 
ous and energetic man, accumulated a large property, 
raised a large and most estimable fariiily, several of whom 



INDIANA METHODISM. 203 

are ^videly known. One of his sons, Rev. James C. 
Fletcher, is the author of the "'• History of Brazil." Rev. 
E. T. Fletcher, for a number of years, occupied a front 
rank among eloquent preachers in the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. Prof. M. I. Fletcher, who was Superinten- 
dent of Public Instruction for the State at the time of his 
death, was a gifted and accomplished man. Dr. W. B. 
Fletcher ranks high as a skillful and accomplished phy- 
sician ; and the other sons are distinguished in their vo- 
cations, as bankers, farmers, etc. Notwithstanding Mr. 
Fletcher's numerous and pressing engagements, he be- 
stowed great attention upon the culture of his family, 
and gave much time to the Church, especially to the Sun- 
day-school cause. 

Rev. Joseph Marsee, a superannuated member of 
South-eastern Indiana Conference, wdio entered the minis- 
try in Kentucky, in 1826, came to Indiana in 1840, set- 
tled in Indianapolis, was superannuated in 1858, and 
died January 20, 1872. He was for many years an 
efficient preacher. After his superannuation, he was 
successful in business, and was an example of liberality. 
He was a grand specimen of a useful, happy Christian, 
whose evening of life was as rich in heaA^enly radiance 
as an autumnal sunset. 

Among the early settlers in Indianapolis was Morris 
Morris, who removed from Kentucky to the vicinity of 
Indianapolis in 1821. Mr. Morris served several terms 
in the Legislature, and two terms as Auditor of State. 
His son, Hon. Austin W. Morris, was for a num.ber of years 
a leading politician of the Whig school, and an eminently 
useful man in the Church. Father Morris and his esti- 
mable wife, and Austin Morris, some years since, were 
gathered to their heavenly home ; but their names are 
familiar as household words in Methodist circles, and 



204 INDIANA METHODISM, 

their memories are gratefully cherished by those who 
knew them. General T. A. Morris, a son of Morris 
Morris, was educated at West Point Military Academy, 
resigned his position in the army, and, as a civil engineer 
and a capitalist, has had much to do in building up the 
railroad system in Indiana ; and although a member of 
a sister Church, yet, as the son of worthy Methodist 
parents, and himself an honored Christian citizen, is 
worthy of mention in this connection. 

RELATIVE STRENGTH OF THE CHURCHES. 

The following exhibit of the relative strength of the 
several religious denominations, will be read with interest, 
and will be found convenient as a matter of reference : 

The Protestant Episcopal numbers 582 ; Methodist 
Episcopal, 3,219 ; Presbyterian, 1,736 ; Baptist, 1,093 ; 
Papist, 4,000; Congregationalist, 235; Christian, 900 ; 
Lutheran, 810 ; German Reformed, 300 ; German Evan- 
gelical Association, 118 ; United Brethren, 42 ; Unita- 
rian, 500; Friends, 246; Jewish, 58. 

In Church property they stand : Protestant Episco- 
pal, $168,000 ; Methodist Episcopal, $391,000; Presby- 
terian, $320,117; Baptist, $116,000; Papist, $300,- 
000; Congregationalist, $43,000; Christian, $53,000; 
Lutheran, $93,000; German Reformed, $21,000; Ger- 
man Evangelical Association, $9,000; United Brethren, 
$5,000; Unitarian, $6,000; Jewish, $27,000; Friends, 
$20,000. 

The following is a list of the appointments made to 
Indianapolis, down to the division of the first charge : 

1821, William Cravens; 1822-23, James Scott; 
1823-24, Jesse Haile and George Horn ; 1825, John Mil- 
ler; 1826, Thomas Hewson; 1827, Edwin Ray ; 1828, 
N. B. Griffith; 1829, Thomas Hitt; 1830-31, Thomas 



INDIANA METHODISM. 205 

Hitt; 1832-33, Benjamin C. Stevenson; 1833-34, C. 
W. Ruter; 1834-35, E. H. Ames; 1835-36, John C. 
Smith; 1836-37, A. Eddy; 1837-38, John C. Smith; 
1838-39, A. Wiley; 1839-40, A. Wiley; 1840-41, W. 
H. Goode; 1841-42, W. H. Goode. In 1821, the dis- 
trict was called Indiana, and Samuel Hamilton was pre- 
siding elder. In 1824, William Beauchamp was presiding 
elder. Down to this time, the work in Indiana was in- 
cluded in Missouri Conference, and John Strange was ap- 
pointed to the district. In 1825, Missouri Conference 
was divided, and the work in Indiana was included in 
the Illinois Conference, and John Strange was appointed 
to the district. In 1829, Indianapolis .was included 
in Madison District, and Allen Wiley was presiding 
elder. In 1832, Indianapolis District was formed, and 
John Strange Avas presiding elder. This year, the In- 
diana Conference was organized. In 1833, A. Wiley, 
Presiding Elder; 1834, James Havens, Presiding Elder; 
1838, a" Eddy, Presiding Elder; and in the Fall of 
1840, James Havens was again appointed to the district. 

WASHINGTON, DAVIESS COUNTY. 

The Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, Da- 
viess County, Indiana, was organized in 1816. The 
population of the village at that time did not exceed sev- 
enty-five. The meetings were held in the private res- 
idences of Samuel Miller and Thomas Meredith. The 
society was organized under the ministry of Bev. John 
Schrader, who was in charge of a large four-weeks' cir- 
cuit. The only members of the Church now living, 
whose membership dates back as far as 1822, are, Eliza- 
beth Meredith, Bobert Stephens, Bebecca Baper, and 
William Bratten. Mr. Bratten was the class-leader. 
About that time, Dr. Holland, a physician, and a local 



206 INDIANA METHODISM. 

preacher of considerable ability, was connected with the 
class. The society continued to worship in private resi- 
dences, in the school-house, and in the court-house, until 
1827, when a small, one-story brick was inclosed, near 
where the Cumberland Presbyterian Church now stands. 
The congregation was soon sadly disappointed, by the 
walls of the building gathering dampness, and threaten- 
ing to crumble to ruins. They were again compelled to 
worship in private houses, in the school-house, and in the 
court-house, until in 1837, when Lewis Jones, William 
Bratten, and John Fryer purchased a residence where the 
Methodist Episcopal Church now stands. The building 
was enlarged and converted into a church, received by 
the trustees, and paid for by donations. 

The prospects of the Church were now greatly 
brightened ; and, in the midst of sincere rejoicings, the 
church was formally dedicated to the worship of God 
by Rev. A. Wood. The membership had increased to 
one hundred and twenty-five, and the appointment was 
made a station; but, after two years, w^as again con- 
nected with the circuit. For several years the Church 
was blessed with prosperity; and, in 1858, under the 
labors of Rev. James F. M'Cann, the present house of 
Avorship was built, and dedicated by Rev. Calvin Kings- 
ley. In 1859, the charge was again made into a station, 
and has so continued until the present time. The mem- 
bership at present is two hundred and fifty-one, in- 
cluding fifty-one probationers. 

The charge has been fiivored with special revivals as 
follows : In 1845, under the labors of Rev. J. R. Will- 
iams, when about forty-five professed conversion ; in 
1858, under the labors of Rev. J. F. M'Cann, when fifty 
professed conversion; in 1859, under the labors of Rev. 
II. B. Ilibben, when about fifty made a profession of 



INDIANA METHODISM. 207 

religion; in 1863, under the labors of E.ev. Stephen 
Bowers, when two hundred conversions were reported ; 
in 1866, under the labors of Rev. W. F. Harned, when 
seventy-five conversions were reported; and in 1870, 
under the labors of Rev. Aaron Turner, when sixty-five 
conversions were reported. In Church music. Sabbath- 
school work, and general Christian enterprise, the con- 
gregation is alive and progressive. 

METHODISM IN LAFAYETTE. 

BY REV. N. L. BRAKEMAN. 

From a variety of sources — mainly from the earliest 
settlers — we gather the following facts concerning the 
history of Methodism in Lafayette, Indiana : 

As early as 1825, Rev. Hackaliah Vredenburg, who 
then lived on the Shawnee Prairie, preached the first 
Methodist sermon in Lafayette. In 1826, Mr. Vreden- 
burg was appointed to the Craw^fordsville Circuit, and occa- 
sionally preached in Lafayette, which Avas then an out- 
post on that w^ork, but without any regularly organized 
society among the Methodists. In 1827, Rev. Henry 
Buell rode the Crawfordsville Circuit. In 1827-28, Eli 
P. Farmer succeeded Mr. Buell. In 1828-29, Stephen 
R. Beggs, with John Strange as presiding elder, was ap- 
pointed to the Crawfordsville Circuit, and formed a good 
class in Lafayette; twenty in all, only five of whom 
were males ; but up to this date no permanent or formal 
organization had been made, and no permanent place of 
public worship had been provided. Ministers preached 
wherever they could, sometimes in a private house, 
then in Eli Huntsinger's wheelwright-shop, which was a 
small log-cabin on the corner of Mississippi, now South 
and Ferry Streets ; sometimes in an unfinished public 
building ; then again in the log-tavern, on what is called 



208 INDIANA METHODISM. 

now Second Street, near Ferry (still standing, and owned 
by H. Taylor) ; and sometimes in the open air. Pastors 
and people realized that they were indeed "pilgrims 
and strangers, without any certain dwelling-place ;" but 
Lafayette has, thus far, proved to them and theirs a 
" continuing city," and their descendants to-day may 
justly claim, with Saul of Tarsus, that they are citizens 
'^of no mean city." (Acts xxi, 39.) At that date (1828) 
all the buildings in Lafoyette of every kind, great and 
small, public and private, numbered just seventeen ! 
Allow five persons to each building — a large estimate — 
will give a population of eighty-five souls. Here we 
may mention the names of the Heaths, Fords, Samples, 
Taylors, Vanattas, Harringtons, Millers, Tuttles, Pykes, 
Wellses, and others, who settled in Lafayette from 1828 
to 1830, and later families, who have been identified 
with Methodism from the first, and are exerting a con- 
trolling influence upon its future destiny. 

When Mr. Beggs Avas appointed to Crawfordsville 
Circuit, the following were the principal preaching-places, 
and in the order named : Crawfordsville, Fort Wayne, 
Logansport, Delphi, Lafayette, Attica, Portland, Coving- 
ton, and back to Crawfordsville again. The subordinate 
and intermediate preaching-places, however, outnum- 
bered the principal ones, so that the minister ]iad to 
preach from five to seven times each week. The follow- 
ing year the "Logansport Mission" was formed, em- 
bracing Logansport, Delphi, and Lafayette ; and Mr. 
Beggs was again appointed, but did not fill out the year. 
(See "Early History of the West and North-west :" Bev. 
S. B. Beggs. Pages 81-83.) 

The next preacher was James Armstrong, with 
Strange still as presiding elder. In September, 1830, 
Mr. Armstrong preached in an unfinished store-room on 



INDIANA METHODISM. 209 

Main Street, built by John Taylor, Esq., on the lot 
where the Gait House now stands, and then and there 
made the first formal and thorough organization of Meth- 
odism in Lafayette. An official board was appointed, 
trustees elected, and the initiatory steps taken toward 
procuring a lot and building a church. A lot was pur- 
chased on the corner of Main and Sixth Streets, where 
the "old bank building" now stands, and early the 
following season a frame church was erected. In that 
church, while it was yet in an unfinished state, in June, 
1831, the first regularly conducted quarterly-meeting 
was held, John Strange, the presiding elder, being 
present, and preaching with power. That- meeting was 
a great event for Lafayette Methodism. It had been 
published throughout the country by the " circuit-rider," 
on his previous " round ;" and people of all denomina- 
tions, and some of no denomination, came, some from a 
distance of fifteen and twenty miles, to see each other, 
to hear the Word of life, and to worship the God of 
their fathers. Some came to see the city, and some to 
see the "new church;" and many came to hear the pre- 
siding elder, whose fame as a pulpit orator filled the 
land, and drew together great crowds whenever he 
preached. A large congregation — considering the time 
and place — assembled ; the women and children filled 
the house, mainly, while the men stood listening with- 
out, or reclined under the shade of the adjacent trees. 
The weather w^as exceedingly warm; but as the house 
had neither doors nor windows as yet, it was well ven- 
tilated ! 

All the services were largely attended, and of special 
interest to the new settlement, embracing city and 
country. Quarterly conference attended to the tempo- 
ralities of the Church. On Sabbath morning the love- 

14 



210 INDIANA METHODISM. 

feast was held, and at 11 o'clock A. M., Strange de- 
livered one of his inimitable and overpowering sermons ; 
and in the afternoon there was another sermon, at the 
close of which the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's- 
supper were administered. During this last service an 
incident occurred which we deem worthy of record ; the 
material points of which are thus given by Sanford Cox, 
Esq., in his "Recollections of the Early Settlement of 
the Wabash Valley," pages 81, 82. 

Armstrong, who was also an eloquent and popular 
preacher, and beloved by all who knew him, had preached 
his celebrated "Fish Sermon" with happy effect; and 
Strange, who was a man of surpassing personal beauty, 
piety, eloquence, and solemnity combined, conducted the 
services of the Eucharist. While the latter was address- 
ing the communicants, bowed and in tears at the altar, 
and in the most tender and touching language, telling 
them of Christ as " the Lamb of God which taketh 
away the sins of the world," a group of thoughtless and 
giddy youngsters were gathered about the door, whose 
looks and actions denoted a spirit of levity wholly in- 
compatible with the solemnity of the scene transpiring 
before them. Mr. Strange for a while seemed to take no 
notice of them, but continued to address the communi- 
cants in the most gentle, loving, and pathetic terms, 
when, suddenly starting up, as if awaking from a rev- 
erie, Avith flashing eye, in sterner tones, with correspond- 
ing gesture, and with a ringing emphasis, he said : "Did 
I say Christ was the Lamh of God ? He is, to the 
humble, contrite, trusting believer; but to ^ou sinners" — 
pointing back, with his long, bony finger, toward the 
irreverent young men at the door — " to you, sirs, arouse 
him, and he is 'the Lion of the tribe of Judah,' terrible 
IN HIS justice; and by the •slightest movement of his 



INDIANA METHODISM. 211 

omnific power, could dash you deeper into damnation in a 
MOMENT than a sunbeam could fly in a million of ages !" 
This immediate and unpremeditated passing from the 
tender and pathetic to the stern and terrifying, was as 
penetrating and overpowering in its influence as it was 
sudden and unexpected in its transition. It thrilled and 
startled the people like a beam of lightning from a sun-lit 
sky. Its effect upon the young men at whom it was 
aimed w^as wonderful. Hushed into profound silence 
and fear, they stood pale and motionless, for the nonce. 
One of them afterward said that, for the time, he felt 
his hair instantly stand on end, and felt as if flying with 
the speed of light toward the deep, doleful regions, so 
eloquently and fearfully alluded to in the impromptu 
and brilliant flash of rhetoric, w^hich equals the most 
sublime flights of Bridane, Bascom, or Simpson. 

We will add that the young man who was the master- 
spirit of the above group of irreverent lookers-on so elo- 
quently rebuked, and Avho felt that he was "flying" 
through space to Pandemonium swifter than Milton's 
•^Archangel ruined" fell to his doom, still lives in Lafay- 
ette, a worthy and exemplary member of a sister Church. 
And whenever we see him passing about, with his now 
whitened locks standing a la Jackson, we secretly won- 
der whether it is really natural for his hair to stand out 
like the quills of the " fretful porcupine," or whether it 
w\as caused by the electric shock of Strange's potent elo- 
quence on that sultry Sabbath evening in June, 1831, 
making it " instantly stand on end." 

Strange and Armstrong were followed on the circuit 
by Samuel C. Cooper and Samuel Brenton, and these 
last by Boyd Phelps and Wesley Woods. The latter 
died soon after he entered upon the circuit, and was suc- 
ceeded by S. R. Ball. In 1833, " Lafayette Circuit" was 



212 INDIANA METHODISM. 

formed, and Eichard Hargrave and Nehemiah Griffith 
were appointed the preachers, and James Thompson pre- 
siding elder. William M. Clark and William Watson 
were the next preachers. At conference, in the Fall of 
1835, Lafayette was made a station, and Dr. H. S. Tal- 
bot was stationed preacher for two years. He was suc- 
ceeded by the following ministers, some of whom served 
two years, namely : Lorenzo B. Smith, J. A. Brouse, H. 

B. Beers, Amasa Johnson, J. M. Stallard, and Samuel 
Brenton. 

This brings us down to 1844-45, which marks a new 
era in Lafayette Methodism, when it had built for itself 
a fine brick church and parsonage, on the corner of Fifth 
and Ferry Streets, where the society worships at the 
present time. 

In 1849, the nucleus of a new Church was formed, 
under the labors of W. F. Wheeler, City Missionary, and 
in 1850, one hundred and forty members were set off 
from the old society, and a second charge, now the Ninth- 
street Methodist Episcopal Church, was formed, Avith T. 
S. Webb as pastor; J. L. Smith, D. D., Presiding Elder. 
It is now a strong, intelligent, growing Church ; Bev. J. 

C. Heed, D. D., is at present pastor. 

April 4, 1852, the German Methodist Episcopal 
Church was organized, under the Bev. C. Keller. At 
about the same time, the Colored Methodist Church was 
organized by Bev. Mr. Dunlap. This Church is very 
feeble in numbers and financial strength, though they 
have a very good property, embracing church, parsonage, 
and a brick school-house. There are not more than about 
one hundred colored people^ all told, in Lafayette. 

What is now the Sixth-ward (Oakland Hill) Method- 
ist Episcopal Church began its history as a class, organ- 
ized by Dr. Charles Nailor in 1859'. In 1860, it became 




r.r.^'-^- 



'- L^ca 



^^^^L-^L^^—c:, -j^oyiK^ 



INDIANA METHODISM. 213 

the head of the Lafayette Circuit. In 1866, it was made 
a mission appointment, Rev. A. Potter as supply, and 
Rev. S. Godfrey, Presiding Elder. In 1868, a nice brick 
church, sixty-five by forty feet, was built; and in 1869, 
Rev. F. Taylor was made pastor; Rev. I. W. Joyce, 
Presiding Elder. This Church is properly a branch of 
the Ninth-street Methodist Episcopal Church ; Rev. P. S. 
Cook is now pastor. 

In 1866, Rev. G. M. Boyd was appointed pastor of 
the " Old Fifth-street" Church, and under his labors, the 
long-talked-of enterprise of a new, more costly, and more 
commodious house of worship for the parent society was 
initiated. Two young men of the Church (John W. 
Heath, Esq., and Hon. Henry Taylor) bought a lot on the 
corner of Sixth and North Streets, for $7,000, and do- 
nated it to the Church for their new site. A subscrip- 
tion w^as circulated with encouraging success, and a good 
degree of interest awakened in the new enterprise. In 
the Fall of 1868, Rev. N. L. Brakeman was appointed 
pastor; Rev. William Graham, D. D., Presiding Elder; 
and in the following Spring the work of erecting the new 
building was commenced. When completed and fur- 
nished, it will have cost $70,000 or $75,000, will seat 
one thousand people, and will be one among the finest 
churches in the state, and the finest in the conference. 
The society has changed its corporate name, and is now 
known as Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. It was 
inclosed in January, 1870, and will be ready for occupa- 
tion, it is thought, by December, 1871. 

In 1869, the society formed in Chauncey, a suburb 
of Lafayette, on the western bank of the Wabash, had 
become so strong as to determine to build a house of 
worship for itself. The enterprise was promptly entered 
upon, vigorously prosecuted, and early in 1870, their 



214 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



house was dedicated. The old Fifth-street Church (now 
Trinity), notwithstanding its own heavy enterprise, then 
in progress, set off thirty-six of its own members to the 
Chauncey Church, gave of its sympathy and means to 
aid the young and rising society, and bade it Godspeed 
on its way. In the Fall of 1870, Chauncey became a 
station, and Rev. W. C. Davisson was appointed pastor. 
Chauncey is the seat of the " Purdue Agricultural Col- 
lege," and is destined to become a place of no little im- 
portance. Our church there is a Gothic frame structure, 
and cost something over three thousand dollars. Con- 
sidering its style, character, and accommodations, it is a 
marvel of cheapness. 

The following table will give a bird's-eye view of the 
present strength of Methodism in Lafayette : 



NAME OF CHUECK. 


a> 3 

i-2 

a> '^' 
: 

289 
235 

109 

25 

105 

70 


• 


<! 


Q O 

: 


Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church 


325 
241 
120 
35 
130 
100 


$80,000 
20,000 
7,000 
3,000 
7,500 
3,500 


1828-30 

1849 

1852 

1853 

1859 

1869 


Ninth-street Methodist Episcopal Church..,, 
German Methodist Episcopal Church 


African Methodist Episcopal Church 


Sixth Ward Methodist Episcopal Church 

Chauncey Methodist Episcopal Church 

Total 


833 


951 


$121,000 











In so condensed and rapid a sketch of the rise and 
progress of Methodism in Lafayette as we have been 
obliged to make, it is impossible to bring forward the 
names of ministers (elders and pastors), and members, 
male and female, whose lives and labors have left their 
impress for good upon family, society. Church, and State. 
God knows them, whether living or dead ; their record 
is on high, and their reward is sure. 

The above table indicates but in part what Lafayette 



INDIANA METHODISM. 215 

Methodism is. No statistics (except those kept by the 
recording angel above) can show what Lafayette Meth- 
odism has done for God and humanity in the last forty- 
six or fifty years. Count the men and women who, 
during these years, it has put into the ministry, the 
week-day and the Sabbath-schools, as preachers and 
teachers, and the souls converted, or made wiser and 
better, through their labors ; count the souls it has led 
to the Cross, and then given to other denominations from 
its altars and its fellowship, and the good they have 
done, and are doing ; count the large number transferred 
by letter to other Churches, scattered through half the 
states in the Union, from New York to California ; count 
the sainted ones from the ranks of infancy, childhood, 
youth, middle life, and age, whom it has given to the shin- 
ing hosts of heaven — a much larger number, they, than 
we are aware, till we stop and think, and count their 
graves — and take into account all the secret, silent, un- 
seen, and unknown influences which have gone out from 
all these, for good of which none but God can truly 
know, but which, like Nature's hidden powers, are the 
most potent, after all ; combine, in imagination, all that 
has been accomplished for good by the living and the 
dead in these five different channels indicated, of human 
thought and feeling, influence and agency, — and then you 
only approximate the true reckoning, as it shall appear 
in the last day. 

SOUTH BEND. 

John Brownfield, Esq., of South Bend, has furnished 
the principal f^icts in the following sketch of Methodism 
in that locality. In a note, under date of February, 
1871, he says : 

" South Bend was laid out in 1830. I visited this- 



216 INDIANA METHODISM. 

county in 1833. I heard brothers Robinson and JBes- 
wick preach in Niles. Their mission extended from 
Fort Wayne to Lake Michigan, embracing Goshen, South 
Bend, Laporte, and Michigan City, in Indiana; also, 
Niles and St. Joseph, in Michigan. I settled here in 
1834. There were then about forty Methodists, and a 
population of one hundred and seventy -five. In 1836, 
our number increased considerably; the new-comers be- 
ing chiefly from Ohio, and among them Albert and L. 
W. Monson, and Obadiah Hackey, father of Rev. J. C. 
Hackey. The population was then about five hundred. 
I am sorry to say that Methodism, for the last five or 
six years, has not kept pace with the population. The 
United Brethren, who were early on the ground, and, in 
1836, built a church, have now no organization at all in 
our town. Presbyterians, Baptists, Campbellites, and 
Catholics have come in, in considerable numbers. Our 
present population is about eight thousand. The first 
and second charges embrace about four hundred mem- 
bers, or one in twenty of our entire population." 

On the 24th of January, 1831, Bev. N. B. Griffith, 
and Benjamin Boss and family, arrived at South Bend^ 
and found Samuel Martin and wife, and Benjamin Potter 
and wife, members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Griffith came as a missionary. There was a deep snow 
on the ground, and the weather was intensely cold ; and 
as the few families in the village were sheltered in cab- 
ins and half-faced shanties, no room could be had large 
enough to accommodate the people for preaching, and 
Mr. Griffith left to bring his family to this' new field of 
labor. On the evening of the 30th of January, the 
Methodist families of the village assembled at the house 
of Benjamin Boss, and held a prayer-meeting, which was 
the first Methodist worship, if not' the first Protestant 



INDIANA METHODISM. 217 

worship, held in South Bend. Some time in March fol- 
lowing, Rev. L. B. Guiiey, who was a missionary from 
the North Ohio Conference, visited South Bend, but 
found the field pre-empted by Griffith. 

Early in April, Griffith returned, and on the evening 
of the 6th of April collected the people in the bar-room 
in a small tavern kept by Benjamin Coquillard, a Roman 
Catholic, and preached to the people, and organized the 
first class in South Bend, consisting of Samuel Martin 
and wife, Benjamin Potter and wife, Benjamin Ross and 
wife, Rebecca Stull, and Simeon Mason ; of which class 
Martin and Ross Avere jointly appointed leaders. In 
June, 1831, Wm. Stanfield and Avife came to South 
Bend, and were added to the little class by certificate ; 
and Stanfield was soon after appointed leader. About 
the same time, Samuel Newman and wife w^ere also 
added to the class by letter. 

The first report we have of this mission is in the 
General Minutes for 1832, Illinois Conference, Craw- 
fordsville District, N. B. Griffith ; members reported, 
one hundred and eighty. In 1833, it is called St. 
Joseph and South Bend Mission, with R. S. Robinson 
and G. M. Beswick as missionaries. The mission was 
included in the Mission District, James Armstrong, 
Superintendent; and they reported for the year three 
hundred and twenty-three members. 1834, it was called 
South Bend Circuit. It was still included in Arm- 
strong's district. Boyd Phelps was in charge of the 
circuit, assisted by T. P. M'Cool; members reported at 
the end of the year, five hundred and eleven. At this 
time all Protestant worship in South Bend was held in 
a small log school-house, Avhich stood on the site of the 
new brick school-house on St. Joseph Street, in the 
Second Ward. 1835, South Bend Circuit is in Laporte 



218 INDIANA METHODISM. 

District, of which R. Hargrave was presiding elder; 
R. Ball and T. P. M'Cool were the circuit-preachers. 
They reported, at the end of the year, six hundred and 
nine members. During this Conference year a house of 
worship was built for the Methodist congregation, but 
was not taken off the builder's hands, because it had 
been so badly built. 

In the Summer of 1835, the second story of a house 
still standing on the south-east corner of Pearl and St. 
Joseph Streets, was fitted up for a school-house, and the 
Methodists held their meetings there ; and in it they 
were blessed with a good revival, in which a number 
were converted and added to the Church ; and there, in 
November, 1835, the first Methodist Sunday-school was 
organized, by the adoption of a constitution and the elec- 
tion of officers. This school had, however, previously 
met for a few months in the kitchen of John Brownfield, 
without any formal organization. 

The first Board of Church Trustees was elected Feb- 
ruary 6, 1835, and consisted of Samuel Martin, Johnson 
Howill, John Bush, E. W. Sweet, and John Brownfield. 
At a meeting of the trustees, March 5th, they resolved 
to build a frame church, thirty-five by forty-five feet, 
with a fourteen feet ceiling. In June, a lot was pur- 
chased, and on the 6 th of July the contract for building 
and plastering was let. But in February following it was 
discovered that the church was built on the wrong lot, 
which caused considerable trouble ; but finally an ex- 
change was effected, and the building permitted to stand ; 
and early in the Fall of 1836 it was finished and occu- 
pied. In 1835-36, J. Wolf was appointed to the circuit, 
but remained only a part of the year. In 1836-37, 
South Bend and Mishawaka were united, and R. S. Rob- 
inson was the preacher, and was reappointed the next 



INDIANA METHODISM. 219 

year. He was succeeded by James S. Harrison. Owing 
to an extraordinary emigration to Wisconsin, the mem- 
bership was reduced this year to 145, but came up dur- 
ing the year to 195. In 1839, South Bend Avas made a 
station, under the pastoral charge of David Stiver, who 
reported, at the end of the year, 276 members. In 
1850-51, a brick church, forty-eight by seventy-two feet, 
was built on the corner of Main and Jefferson Streets, 
and was dedicated by Rev. Dr. Berry and John L. Smith, 
on the 17th day of August, 1851, the basement having 
been previously occupied for several months. 

When the state was divided into four conferences, 
in 1852, South Bend was included in the North-west 
Indiana Conference. 

In 1853-54, the trustees of the Church in South 
Bend built Portage Chapel, or, the Church at Zeigler's, 
as the record has it. In 1868-69, the second charge in 
South Bend was organized. It is due to the ladies of 
South Bend to say, that, as early as 1846, when the 
Church was weak, and greatly embarrassed by unpaid 
debts, the " Methodist Ladies' Sewing Society" came to 
the relief of the Church trustees, by proposing to donate 
to them all the funds of their Society, provided the breth- 
ren would add thirty-three per cent to the amount of 
their donation ; and the surplus, after the payment of 
their debts, should go toward the purchase of a parson- 
age. This generous act wiped out all the debts against 
the Church, and secured a parsonage. 

Since that time, the '^ Ladies' Mite Society" has paid 
several hundred dollars for furnishing the parsonage ; 
several hundred dollars toward building the present par- 
sonage ; three hundred dollars toward the church-organ ; 
and five hundred dollars toward the new church edifice ; 
besides assuming several hundred dollars more toward 



220 INDIANA METHODISM. 

furnishing the church. In addition to this, the " College 
Aid Society," composed of Ladies of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, paid six hundred dollars for furnishing 
" Heck Hall" as a Centenary offering. The enterprise of 
the Methodist ladies of South Bend is worthy of all 
praise. In 1868, the present church edifice was enlarged, 
remodeled, and modernized. The lecture-room was fin- 
ished and occupied December 25, 1869, and the upper 
room finished in the Summer of 1871. The worshipers 
are called together by an excellent bell, which cost the 
congregation $2,500, and the church, independent of the 
lot on which it stands, is worth $25,000. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN ANDERSON, INDIANA. 

BY REV. W. H. GOODE, D. D. 

The Church in this place was small in its beginnings, 
and, like the town itself, had a long period of struggle 
before it reached any permanent prosperity. It has no 
early Mdory to relate. For many years it was a feeble 
appointment upon a large circuit. With the settlement 
of the country, and growth of the Church, the circuits 
Avere narrowed down by repeated divisions, until in 1857, 
the town of Anderson was made a station. About that 
time, a career of growth and prosperity came upon the 
town, which has steadily continued, till it has become the 
largest and most flourishing place within the same range 
of the state capital. With this, the Church has kept an 
even pace in numbers and aggressive vigor. The good 
men, few" in number, that fought through the early strug- 
gle, have passed to their reward ; and now a strong and 
devoted body of working Christian men are at the labor- 
ing oar. / 

At an early day, a rude structure for worship was put 
up on the outskirts of the village^ as was the wont of 



INDIANA METHODISM. 221 

that day, but never finished, the old court-house being 
the standing resort. In 1851, a comfortable frame church 
was erected, which has been occupied till this date 
(1871). An elegant and commodious church edifice is 
now approaching completion, inferior to none in the 
North Indiana Conference, and to few in the state. 
There is a comfortable parsonage, with ample grounds ; 
all the Church propert}^ is eligibly situated, the ministry 
is well sustained, the social influences are good, and the 
entire aspect is inviting. The numerical relation of our 
Church membership to the present population is about 
one to twelve. The increased accommodations offered by 
the new and spacious church may be expected greatly to 
enlarge the influence and the membership. 

PERU. 

Methodism was introduced into Peru about 1830, by 
Ancil Beach and Amasa Johnson. The first society was 
organized by Miles HufPaker, in 1834. Among the mem- 
bers of the first class are the names of Colonel William 
Reyburn and wife, George S. Fennimore and wife, Mrs. 
M'Gregor, and Mrs. M'Gwin. The first church was built 
in 1835. There are now (1871) tw^o charges in Peru. 
Main-street Church is a two-story brick building, and was 
erected in 1850. The Church was divided, in 1854, on 
the pew and organ question. The second charge, the old 
Third-street — now called St. Paul's — have just erected 
themselves a neat Gothic house of worship. The pop- 
ulation of Peru is a little over 3,700, of whom 350 are 
Methodists, being one in every ten and one-half of the 
population. 

METHODISM IN TERRE HAUTE. 

The first mention of Terre Haute in the Minutes of 
the Conference, is in connection with the appointments 



222 INDIANA METHODISM. 

made at the session of the Illinois Conference, at Vin- 
cennes, in the Fall of 1830. Terre Haute is mentioned 
in the Wabash District, of which George Locke was pre- 
siding elder, and Edwin Ray is appointed to Terre Haute 
as a supernumerary. In 1831, Terre Haute is coupled 
with Carlisle, and Enoch G. Wood and William Taylor 
were the preachers. In 1832, Terre Haute Circuit had 
Anthony F. Thompson and John Eichey. In the Fall 
of 1833, Richard Hargrave and William Watson were 
appointed to the circuit; and in 1834, J. White and 
David Stiver were appointed to the circuit. At the ses- 
sion of the Indiana Conference, in October, 1835, held in 
Lafayette, Terre Haute Avas made a station, and S. L. 
Robinson w^as appointed in charge of it. It was then in 
Yincennes District, of which Aaron Wood was the pre- 
siding elder. Down to 1833, the district was called Wa- 
bash, and for the years 1828, 1829, 1830, and 1831, 
George Locke — father of Rev. John W. Locke, D. D., — 
Avas the presiding elder, and during a portion of that time 
his family resided in Terre Haute. Mrs. Locke taught 
school and supported the family, Avhile her husband trav- 
eled that large frontier district. Mrs. Locke conducted 
a boarding-school for young ladies, in Terre Haute, the 
first of the kind that Avas ever taught in that toAvn, and 
probably the first in the state. Terre Haute Avas favored 
Avith a certain sort of cultured society from the begin- 
ning. Its proximity to Fort Harrison, a military post of 
considerable importance in that day, favored it AA^th the 
society of the officers of the regular army, Avho Avere ed- 
ucated men. The religious element in the community 
was not stron2f, and their social amusements, as miirht be 
expected, partook of a gay and Avorldly type. A ball 
had been determined on, but in order to get the requisite 
number of young ladies, it was .thought best by the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 223 

managers to ticket those attending Mrs. Locke's boarding- 
school. Accordingly, one of their number was deputized 
to visit the school, inform Mrs. Locke of their purposes, 
and present the young ladies with tickets. Mr. Jones — 
for such we will call him — in pursuance of his mission, 
called on Mrs. Locke one afternoon, informed her of his 
errand, and requested to see the young ladies. Mrs. 
Locke thanked him for his kindness, and told him she 
would invite the young ladies into the parlor presently, 
when he could lay his message before them. Meanwhile, 
she engaged him in conversation so entertainingly, that 
the time ran rapidly by, and when she invited the young 
ladies into the parlor she informed Mr. Jones that tea 
was ready ; and urged him so kindly and persistently to 
accompany the young ladies to the tea-table, that, al- 
though reluctant to do so, he could not decline. When 
seated at the table, Mrs. Locke said, " Mr. Jones, will 
you please ask a blessing?" Mr. Jones very politely, but 
with considerable embarrassment, begged to be excused. 
Mrs. Locke, as her custom was, then attended to that 
duty, and then entered into immediate conversation with 
Mr. Jones, endeavoring to make him feel as much at ease 
as was possible under the circumstances. She then said, 
"Mr. Jones, if I am not mistaken, you were once a pro- 
fessor of religion, and a member of the Methodist 
Church." He admitted that such was the fact. Said 
Mrs. Locke, " I would be glad if you would state, for the 
information of the young ladies, whether or not, when 
you Avere a member of the Church, attending to your 
Church duties, and in the enjoyment of religion, you 
were not a happier man than you are now, while depend- 
ing on the pleasures of the world for enjoyment." He 
responded : " I have often thought that I was not only 
happier when in the enjoyment of religion than I am 



224 INDIANA METHODISM. 

now, but that I was happier even as a penitent seeking 
salvation, than I am now ; and I assure you there is no 
comparison between the enjoyment I had as a Christian, 
and what I now experience as a man of the world. My 
heart is now often sad and desolate, even amid scenes 
of gayety and mirth." She kindly exhorted him to come 
back to Christ, and regain his first love. Repairing to 
the parlor, at the close of supper, Mrs. Locke said, "It is 
our custom to have prayers immediately after tea," and 
handing Mr. Jones a Bible, requested him to read a chap- 
ter, and lead them in prayer, which he declined; when 
Mrs. Locke read a lesson, and engaged fervently in 
prayer, not forgetting to pray for Mr. Jones, that he 
might be reclaimed from his backslidings, and also for 
the young ladies, that they might not be led into tempta- 
tion. When Mr. Jones withdrew, Mrs. Locke kindly in- 
vited him to call on them again; but he never found it 
convenient to accept the invitation. And he said to the 
managers, if any of them thought there was any fun in 
ticketing Mrs. Locke's young ladies to a ball, they were 
welcome to try it; as for himself, he should not under- 
take that task again. 

The following sketch of Methodism in Terre Haute, 
from 1836 to 1848, is from the pen of Colonel Thomas 
Dowling : 

"FIRST CHURCH ORGANIZATION. 

" On the 29th day of February, 1836, John Jack- 
son, Sylvester S. Sibley, Thos. Dowling, and James B. 
M'Call were severally elected trustees oL the Methodist 
Episcopal Church of the town of Terre Haute, and were 
regularly, according to law, qualified as such. Their 
first meeting was held March 1, 1836. John Jackson 
was chosen President, James B. M'Call, Secretary, and 



INDIANA METHODISM. 225 

S. S. Sibley, Treasurer. The first business considered 
was the propriety of erecting a house of worship, as 
none then existed. 

'^ On motion of Mr. Dowling, 

" Resolved^ That this Board, relying upon the liberality and good feel- 
ings of the people of Vigo County, will proceed to raise, by subscription, 
funds for the purpose of building a place of public worship for the use 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Terre Haute. 

" On motion of Jas. B. M'Call, Thos. Dowling was 
appointed to draft rules for the government of this Board. 

" This Board of Trustees at once proceeded to raise a 
fund to pay for the proposed church edifice, and the little 
brick on the corner of the present site of.Asbury went 
up during the year. 

'^ Terre Haute station was organized in 1836. The 
Rev. Aaron Wood was the first presiding elder, and Bev. 
Smith L. Robinson stationed minister. In 1837, John 
Miller was elder, and John A. Brouse preach er-in-charge. 
The elder continued in charge of the district till 1839, 
when Rev. E. R. Ames (now bishop) was appointed, 
with Ebenezer Patrick in the station, and continued till 
1841. This year the Rev. John S. Bayless was sent to 
the Terre Haute Station. 

" It will occur to the reader that the station started 
off in good time, with Aaron Wood, John Miller, and 
Edward R. Ames as its first three presiding elders. 
Perhaps the Indiana Conference did not hold three min- 
isters of equal ability in those days. Two of them yet 
survive, as beacon-lights of Methodism, we hope not 
soon to go out forever. John A. Brouse, who was uni- 
versally popular with the Church and people, yet lives. 
Brothers Robinson, Patrick, and Bayless have gone to 
their reward. 

" The Methodist. Church in Terre Haute had a feeble 

15 



226 INDIANA METHODISM. 

footing in this small place till about the year 1841. 
The little brick church, which stood facing the south; 
on the present site of Asbury, was of small dimensions, 
and Avould not accommodate more than one hundred and 
fifty persons. In the year above named, this little edi- 
fice gave way to the present fine building, which was 
completed and occupied the folloAving Winter. The Rev. 
John S. Bayless was the pastor in charge of the station 
while the building was in the course of erection, and I 
well remember how he complained about the tardiness 
with which the promised subscriptions were paid. As 
it was the first church building erected of any kind — 
the small church on the corner excepted — there did 
not seem to be a very feeling sense of obligation on the 
part of those who signed the paper pledging pecuniary 
aid. The principal business men came forward promptly 
and placed their dollars in the hands of the Building 
Committee ; but another class, whose generosity far ex- 
ceeded their ability, fell lamentably in the rear. Brother 
Bayless was, however, a first-class collector, full of 
energy and force, and did a wonderful amount of hard 
begging. This greatly helped to keep the treasury of 
the Building Committee from becoming entirely empty, 
and prevented a collapse of the enterprise for the year. 
The church was finally finished, with a debt of between 
three and four thousand dollars hanging over it, which 
was subsequently paid by the exertions of a few active 
members of the Church. Jabez S. Carter, who is yet 
living, was one of the most prominent in this act of 
justice to the creditors of Asbury. 1 4hink the debt 
was finally discharged in 1844-45, during the pastor- 
ate of the Eev. S. T. Gillett, who felt, as all Christian 
ministers should feel, that a Church debt is neither 
a moral nor a temporal blessing. Besides not looking 



INDIANA METHODISM. 227 

well, it is a positive evil, which good men should not 
encourage. 

" There are tides in the affiiirs of men and Churches, 
which, taken at the flood-tide, lead on to fortune and 
success. The erection of a new edifice, or the advent 
of a particular minister, very often gives a new and 
healthy impetus to the growth of a religious sentiment 
in community. From the location of a town two miles 
south of Fort Harrison, on the Wabash River (now 
Terre Haute, or Land High)^ in 1818, up to the year 
1835, there w^as no church edifice of any kind within its 
borders. If there were any Church members, the fact 
has escaped my recollection. No doubt there were some 
in the neighborhood and in the county, and perhaps 
many such among the settlers in their old home in the 
states from whence they emigrated ; but having no re- 
ligious ^ organizations ' here, they drifted along as non- 
conformists, without any of the restraints of Church 
government. This was then a frontier town, older than 
Indianapolis, or Lafayette, or Springfield, Illinois. Above 
the site of the town, on the Wabash River, stood a mili- 
tary post (Fort Harrison), located as early as 1809, 
where one or more companies of United States troops 
were kept to protect the emigrants that sought homes 
in the West. When Terre Haute was located, in 1818, 
Indiana had just been admitted into the Union, and the 
country between this place and Vincennes was an almost 
unbroken wilderness. A ' settlement,' here and there, 
was the only evidence of civilization, and they were but 
few and far between. When Terre Haute was laid out, 
and lots sold, it attracted considerable attention, and 
emigrants sought it as an abiding-place. The beauty of 
its location was the theme of many a tongue and pen, 
and has so continued to the present day. Perhaps no 



228 INDIANA METHODISM. 

town in Indiana presents a more beautiful and inviting 
landscape, or enjoys a higher reputation for unquestioned 
natural comforts. Such a place would necessarily invite 
and secure a good class of settlers. And hither they 
came from every portion and section of the country. 
New England, the Middle States, Pennsylvania, New 
York, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, the Carolinas, and 
even England, Canada, and Ireland, sent out their quotas 
to settle this modern El Dorado. The soldiers at the 
fort, and their accomplished officers of the regular 
army, were in the neighborhood for many years before 
the town was laid off. The new emigrants, principally 
young and unmarried, with these officers, formed at once 
a little society of their own, which it was difficult to 
excel in any of the older towns of the West. They 
were, as a general thing, young men of education and 
refinement, who had brought from their old homes those 
ideas of propriety which forbid the indulgence of the 
grosser vices. If it were proper in such a paper as this, 
I could mention names which, in the subsequent histdry 
of Indiana, were connected with high official and social 
positions. We have, to-day, many of the descendants 
of these early settlers living in Terre Haute, scores of 
them the prosperous business men of our young city. 

"This was the primitive population among w^hom the 
itinerant ministry of the Methodist Church had to inau- 
gurate and build up its religious influence, as a branch of 
the Church of God. It was far from being hostile to the 
growth of good morals, or the spread of religion itself. 
While this can be truly said, there was -a sentiment of 
quiet soberness about all manifestations of a religious na- 
ture, which many ministers mistook for a careless or hos- 
tile character. Nothing could be more unjust to the 
original inhabitants of Terre Haute, as subsequent events 



INDIANA METHODISM. 229 

have abundantly proved. The facility with which 
Churches were organized and temples erected, when the 
proper agencies were employed, proved, beyond all doubt, 
that the right sentiment always existed, and only re- 
quired an incentive to elTort and action. When proper 
and rightful organization was effected; when a Church 
sanctuary was proposed and provided, the people flocked 
by hundreds to worship Almighty God, and Terre Haute 
became one of the favored locations for plain, practical 
Methodism. 

^^ The greatest occasion for the manifestation of this 
interest in Church affairs was after the completion of 
^AsBURY.' That was the Hide' on which success was se- 
cured. The membership manifested their zeal and ear- 
nestness in the cause of religion, by securing a house ded- 
icated to the worship of God, and all our people aided in 
the work. When the membership of a Church are ear- 
nest and practical workers, there is sure to be an outside 
influence w^hich tells happily on all their surroundings. 
This was pre-eminently the case in Terre Haute. We 
had, in those days, say from 1841 onward, many excellent 
stationed ministers, aided by presiding elders of acknowl- 
edged ability. The venerable Allen Wiley had charge 
of the district in 1841. All the old membership remem- 
ber this devoted man, and how earnestly he labored in 
the cause of his Master. In 1842-43, the district was 
favored by the appointment of George M. Beswick as 
presiding elder, with the Rev. Joseph Marsee as 
preacher-in-charge. Both these brethren were what is 
rightfully called worJcers, Brother Marsee was an espe- 
cial favorite with all classes of our citizens. In 1844, 
Mr. Beswick was again the presiding elder, and the Bev. 
Samuel T. Gillet the preacher-in-charge. This last ap- 
pointed was received with great favor by the congrega- 



230 INDIANA METHODISM. 

tion, and more especially by those who yet stood outside 
of the Church organization. The new minister was a 
gentleman of most agreeable and winning manners, and 
pronounced ' the right man in the right place.' There 
was no question of his entire acceptability from the start; 
and he grew in favor with our citizens, in and out of the 
Church. His public discourses were of that order which 
stamped him as a scholar, and all awarded him the char- 
acter of a true Christian minister. He was continued for 
two years, to the satisfaction of the Church and its con- 
gregation, and all regretted the rule which forbade his 
service for a longer period. 

" At the Conference, in 1845, that body sent to us the 
Rev. W. H. Goode as presiding elder, and the Rev. 
Amasa Johnson as stationed minister. The Church and 
people had long known Mr. Goode, by reputation, and his 
transfer to the district was a matter of general rejoicing. 
Perhaps, in the whole range of the Conference members, 
no man could have been more heartily indorsed; and 
their judgment of the man, in advance, was entirely jus- 
tified by his services to the district. He left his minis- 
terial work, after four years of faithful service, greatly 
beloved by all. The Rev. A. Johnson was a neiu man, 
about and of whom the citizens in the Church and out of 
it knew nothing. He entered on his work, it may be 
truly said, without any prejudices for or against him. 
But he Avas not long here before the sterling qualities of 
his character became known. He was a very remarkable 
person. To the plainest of manners he united the 
quaintest of speech and expression. He' was never un- 
dignified or frivolous, but always pointed and entertain- 
ing. As a preacher, but few could have been more suc- 
cessful. There was a directness in all that he uttered 
which went home to the heart and the understanding. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 231 

In the private circle he never forgot that he was a minis- 
ter, and yet no man was more popular with our people. 
Brother Johnson remained in the station two years, and 
carried with him the love and affection of the Church 
over which he watched. 

" The Conference of 1847 sent to the Terre Haute 
Station the Hev. John L. Smith, one of the oldest and 
best-known ministers in that body. Every one had a 
knowledge of him, either personally or by repute. To 
receive him kindly, and without dissent, was accepted as 
a matter of course. He was among the strongest and 
ablest in the long list of veterans which graced the 
Church a quarter of a century ago. Unlike his prede- 
cessor, every one knew and recognized John L. Smith as 
the peer of any individual in the Conference ; and, by 
common consent, the appointment was considered one 
eminently ^fit to be made.' His ability as a preacher 
and his popularity as a citizen were the gifts which gave 
him a passport to any circle in Terre Haute. In looking 
back over the quarter of a century which has elapsed 
since brother Smith's advent to the principal Church 
here, the writer has not known one who so completely 
filled the character of an early Methodist minister. 
Strong in argument, forcible in manner and language, and 
often eloquent, his congregations and people increased to 
a noticeable degree. He will not soon be forgotten by 
our older citizens, among whom he labored for two years. 

" The above narrative carries the history of Meth- 
odism in Terre Haute up to the Summer of 1848, and 
the further history must find another pen. The writer 
has aimed only to give a review of the elders and 
preachers who were Avorkers on the district and on the 
station. It is proper to digress here and go back a few 
years, to notice the agencies by which the Methodist- 



232 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Church has attained a strong and sure foot-hold in this 
young city. 

" The establishment of Asbury College at Green- 
castle has greatly aided Methodism in this city, and 
especially at Asbury Church. The head of that College 
for many years. President (now Bishop) Simpson, was a 
great favorite in Terre Haute, and the writer of this 
flatters himself and his neighbors in the belief that 
Terre Haute was always a great favorite with the bishop. 
Be that as it may, the President of Asbury College man- 
ifested a strong interest in the people domiciled here. 
Very many times he left his quiet home' at Grreencastle 
to spend a Sabbath day in Terre Haute, and, on more 
than one occasion, prolonged his visit for many days, 
preaching in Asbury Church night after night. To say 
that the house was full, would but feebly express the 
crowds which attended on his ministrations. The church 
was jammed nightly, and even standing-room was not 
allowed to hundreds who sought admission. This was in 
1842, 1843, and 1844. At our camp-meetings in Honey 
Creek, Otter Creek, and Kaccoon, the kind and amiable 
Matthew Simpson was never absent. On these occa- 
sions he addressed thousands, and the amount of good 
Avhich was done, while its fruits were visible in the 
changed lives of hundreds in this neighborhood, can only 
be known on the great day 'for which all other days 
were made.' These w^ere years of unexampled pros- 
perity to the cause of Methodism and the religion of the 
Savior. The commanding eloquence and the earnest 
prayers of that good and great man produced a wonder- 
ful impression in the community; hundreds of the best- 
known and most prominent of our citizens were in con- 
stant attendance at the then new church. The matter 
and manner of these sermons were new in this place^ 



INDIANA METHODISM. 233 

and it is quite unnecessary for me to define them. That 
style of preaching belongs to himself alone. I would 
remark, however, that in no town in Indiana could Pres- 
ident Simpson address a people better prepared to appre- 
ciate his wonderful gifts. It was in those years that 
Methodism got the start of all the other denominations 
in this place; and when I say that Asbury College aided 
Asbury Church in her career of usefulness, it is simply 
acknowledging a fact patent to every old inhabitant of 
Terre Haute. Like all excitements, it begat a spirit of 
rivalry in the Churches, and, in that way, revivals be- 
came numerous." 

Terre Haute has now two churches, Asbury and Cen- 
tenary, and one good parsonage, worth on the aggregate 
$4.3,000. There are in these charges over six hundred 
communicants, and more than one thousand one hundred 
children in their Sabbath-schools ; and the prospect for 
Methodism in Terre Haute in the future is brighter than 
at any former period. The greatest obstacle to the 
progress of Methodism in Terre Haute has always been 
a disposition on the part of those who have assumed to 
be the leaders in the more wealthy and fashionable 
circles of society to conform to the questionable amuse- 
ments of the world ; and because the discipline of Meth- 
odism is less pliant in that respect than that of some 
other Churches, a persistent effort has been made to pro- 
duce the impression that Methodists were less intelligent 
and less cultivated than the members of some other 
Churches. But the experiment of letting the Church 
down to the world can at best only result in temporary 
success, and is sure to be followed with more lasting 
evils. An earnest and Scriptural piety is the best guar- 
antee of the Church's permanent prosperity. And 
while it is the glory of the Church to lift up the lowdy, 



234 INDIANA METHODISM. 

to hunt for the outcasts, and to preach the Gospel to the 
poor, Methodism is too thoroughly the patron of edu- 
cation, and her communicants average so well in the 
general class of good society, that the day of her re- 
proach on the score of ignorance is gone by. Her mis- 
sion is to all classes of society, and right well has she 
thus far fulfilled it. 

METHODISM IN MADISON. 

Methodism was early introduced into the city of 
Madison. A class was formed among the early settlers, 
and regular circuit-preaching established. Among the 
early Methodist families was the family of old Mr. M'ln- 
tyre, who for many years was one of the prominent and 
wealthy men of the city. Rev. Gamaliel Taylor, who 
came out from Baltimore, was also among the early Meth- 
odists. He was a zealous and efficient local preacher, 
and a prominent citizen of the state, and was for some 
time United States Marshal for the District of Indiana. 
His oldest son, John H. Taylor, Esq., was for a number 
of years clerk of the Circuit Court for the county of Jef- 
ferson, of Avhich the city of Madison is the seat of justice. 
He was for many years recording steward. Father Tay- 
lor always dressed in a round-breasted coat and white 
neck-handkerchief. He was remarkably neat in person, 
commanding in appearance, active in his movements, and 
earnest and consistent in his piety. The family of Rob- 
insons were also Baltimore Methodists, and settled in 
Madison in an early day. Several families of Riche3^s 
settled in and near Madison in an early day, some of 
whom still remain, and are prominent in the Church. 
David Wilson was among the early Methodists in Mad- 
ison ] and, at a little later date, John Pugh, John Wood- 
burn, and William Thomas are found among the active 



INDIANA METHODISM. 235 

Methodists of the place. The Radical controversy of 
1828 rent the Church in two in Madison, and produced 
great bitterness for a number of years ; but finally the 
waning fortunes of Radicalism left the field to the old 
Church. 

For a number of years Madison was the most promi- 
nent and prosperous town in the state. The first rail- 
road in the state had its river terminus at Madison, and 
after it was opened, the Madison and Indianapolis Rail- 
road enjoyed a monopoly of the carrying trade and travel 
for a number of years. All of the goods shipped to the 
interior passed through Madison; and the travel from a 
great part of the state, for Cincinnati and points further 
east, also went through that place. But after the rail- 
road system of the state became developed, Madison Avas 
left at one side ; her commerce declined ; and, although 
a beautiful and healthy city, she has not been able to com- 
pete with her more eligibly situated rivals. In their 
Church extension movements the Methodists of Madison 
have not been fortunate. Wesley Chapel was centrally 
and eligibly located, being in the heart of the city, and on 
one of its principal streets. When Third-street — since 
called Roberts Chapel — was organized, instead of build- 
ing in one end of the city, where it could have had a le- 
gitimate field of its own, those having the enterprise in 
charge determined to build as near Wesley Chapel as 
they could; and, as was to have been anticipated, they 
became rivals and antagonists, when they should have 
been mutual helpers in promoting the salvation of the 
people. St. John's, in the upper part of the city, was 
well located at the time it was built; but when a change 
of circumstances made it desirable to reduce the number 
of charges in the city, the location of the churches has 
been found to be an impediment in the way. 



236 INDIANA METHODISM. 

The charges now are : Wesley, members, 150 ; Trin- 
ity, 224 ; North Madison, which includes some country 
appointments, and numbers 314 members. The Church 
property is valued at $16,400. The Sabbath-school 
children number 645. 

METHODISM IN VINCENNES. 

Methodist preaching was established at Fort St. Yin- 
cent at an early day. Tradition says that General Har- 
rison held the candle for Eev. William Winans to read 
his text, at a night service in the fort. The early set- 
tlers, being French traders and Roman Catholics, and 
Vincennes continuing to be the head-quarters of the 
Homish Church in Indiana, being the residence of the 
Bishop for Indiana, has drawn to it a large Catholic pop- 
ulation, and made it relatively an unfruitful field for Prot- 
estantism. But through the liberality of Mr. Bonner, 
Dr. Hitt, and a few large-hearted Methodists, a good 
Methodist church was built at an early day, and Vin- 
cennes was among the early and desirable stations in 
Indiana Conference. 

Vincennes has one church, valued at $10,000, one 
parsonage, valued at $2,500, a membership of 271, and 
275 children in Sabbath-school. 

HISTORY OF METHODISM AT FORT WAYNE. 

By order of General Wayne, a fort was erected on the 
banks of the beautiful Maumee, in the year 1794, where 
the city of Fort Wayne now stands. From that time 
until about the year 1827 or 1828, there were but few 
persons there save military men, Indian traders, and Mi- 
ami Indians. Occasionally a Methodist preacher, travel- 
ing through the country, preached the word of life to the 
soldiers, trappers, and traders living there. The first 



INDIANA METHODISM. 237 

Methodists who became permanent citizens were Rev. 
James Holman and his wife, in the year 1831. He was 
a local preacher, and, without command of conference or 
bishop, commenced, immediately after his arrival, to hold 
prayer and class meetings, and fearlessly to declare the 
whole counsel of God. Frequently his congregations did 
not number more than eight or ten persons. He first 
preached in private rooms and shops. As soon as there 
w^as a school-house built, it became the church for all — 
Protestants and Catholics. The first regular pastor was 
Rev. N. B. Griffith, who was appointed to Fort Wayne 
Mission in the Fall of 1831. This Mission was organ- 
ized by the Illinois Conference, and was in the Madison 
District, Rev. Allen Wiley, Presiding Elder. The first 
class regularly organized, under the supervision of the 
pastor. Rev. Mr. Griffith, consisted of Rev. James Hol- 
man, class-leader ; Mrs. Holman, Robert Breckenridge, 
Hannah Breckenridge, and Desdemona M'Carty. Be- 
fore the close of this Conference year Mr. Griffith ob- 
tained permission and preached in the Masonic Hall — a 
small brick house which stood near the canal basin. 
Richard S. Robinson was Mr. Griffith's successor. He 
was appointed to Fort Wayne Mission in the Fall of 
1832. Allen Wiley was presiding elder, and the mission 
Avas still in the Madison District. During this Conference 
year there were added to the society, James Hamilton, 
Eliza Hamilton, Cynthia Edsall, and Mary Alderman. 
At the close of this year the Church consisted of nine 
members. In the year 1833, this mission was set off 
from the Illinois Conference by the organization of the 
Indiana Conference. Boyd Phelps w\as the pastor, and 
James Armstrong presiding elder. In 1834 and 1835, 
Freeman Farnsworth was the pastor, and Richard Har- 
grave was presiding elder, on Laporte District, in which 



238 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Fort Wayne was now included. In 1835 and 1836, J. 
S. Harrison was pastor, and preached in the court-house. 
In the Conference year of 1836 and 1837, Stephen H. 
Ball was pastor. This year the mission was in Center- 
ville District, and David Stiver was the presiding elder. 
The preaching-place w^as changed from the court-house to 
M'Junkins's school-house. In the Conference year of 
1837 and 1838, Stephen R. Ball was continued as pastor; 
Bichard Hargrave was presiding elder. In 1838 and 
1839, James T. Robe was pastor. The charge was now 
a circuit, and was connected with the Logansport Dis- 
trict, George M. Beswick, Presiding Elder. In the Con- 
ference year of 1839 and 1840, Rev. Jacob Colclazer 
was pastor. During this year the first Methodist Sab- 
bath-school was organized at Fort Wayne. Stephen R. 
Ball was superintendent ; teachers, Eliza Hamilton, Char- 
lotte Breckenridge, Hannah Johns, Theodore Hoagland, 
Oliver Fairfield, and John M. Miller. The school was 
organized with about thirty-eight scholars, A collection 
was taken for Sunday-school books, amounting to twenty- 
five dollars and sixty-two cents. Two of the above- 
named teachers are still living in Fort Wayne — Eliza 
Hamilton, a member of Berry-street Church, and John 
M. Miller, a member of Wayne-street Church, both noted 
for their liberality and zeal. 

The growth of Methodism in this city has been grad- 
ual but permanent and progressive. The folloAving is the 
present status : Three churches, worth $36,000 ; two par- 
sonages, worth $13,000 ; and a membership of between 
six and seven hundred. 

FORT WAYNE COLLEGE. 

Fort Wayne College, under its present organization, 
is the result of a consolidation of the Fort Wayne Female 



INDIANA METHODISM. 239 

College and the Fort Wayne Collegiate Institute, on the 
10th of October^ 1855. The first of these was intended 
exclusively for the education of females ; the latter, for 
males only. The present institution educates both. The 
Fort Wayne Female College originated Avith the North 
Indiana Conference at its third session, held in Laporte, 
in 1846. The Conference, at that session, resolved to 
found such an institution, located it at Fort Wayne, and 
appointed therefor a temporary Board of Trustees. On 
the 18 th day of January, 1847, the General Assembly 
of the State of Indiana passed an act incorporating the 
Board of Trustees thus appointed by the Conference, 
and giving to Fort Wayne Female College all the legal 
rights and privileges usually belonging to such insti- 
tutions ; this act of legal corporation to take effect on 
the 19th day of June, 1847; at which time the Board 
met, and organized by the appointment of the proper 
officers. The Collegiate Institute had been organized 
by the friends of the Female College in May, 1853; 
and, though having a separate act of incorporation, was 
a little more than an adjunct of the College. It was, 
therefore, thought best by the friends of both institu- 
tions to unite them under one management, and form 
a single institution, for both males and females. This 
was effected, as before stated, on the 10th of October, 
1855 ; since which the joint institution has been known 
as Fort Wayne College. For several years it was 
seriously embarrassed with debt; but, through the ex- 
ertions of Rev. R. D. Robinson, as financial agent, while 
acting as President of the College, it was relieved of its 
burdens, and entered upon a career of greater prosperity. 
Since the Centenary Year, 1866, financially, the insti- 
tution has been more prosperous than formerly, and the 
buildings and grounds have been greatly improved. The 



240 INDIANA METHODISM. 

grounds and buildings are estimated at sixty thousand 
dollars. The following have served as Presidents of the 
College: A. C. Heustis, A. M., 1847; Rev. G. M. 
Round, A.M., 1848; Rev. C. Nutt, D. D., 1849; A. 

C. Heustis, 1850 and 1851; Rev. Samuel T. Gillet, 

D. D., 1852; Rev. Samuel Brenton, A. M., 1853 and 
1854; Rev. R. D. Robinson, A. M., 1855 and 1866, in- 
clusive; Rev. F. M. Heminway, A. M., 1868; Rev. J. 
B. Robinson, A. M., 1869 and 1870. 

^METHODISM IN EVANSVILLE. 

CmcuiT-PREACHiNG was established in Evansville when 
it was a small village ; and, although the society was not 
large in numbers, they early asked to be made a station, 
that they might have regular Sabbath preaching. Two 
local preachers by the name of Wheeler, and another by 
the name of Parrott, aided much in introducing Meth- 
odism into that part of the state. Few portions of the 
state are richer in interesting local Methodist history 
than Evansville and its vicinity ; but the author has 
been disappointed in securing the accurate data that will 
enable him to furnish a reliable history of the introduc- 
tion and progress of the Church in that locality; and 
hence this brief extract. The present charges are 
Trinity, Ingle-street, Trinity City Mission, and Evans- 
ville Circuit, with an aggregate membership of 1,145, 
with a Church property valued at $108,500. They have 
1,250 children in Sabbath-school. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 241 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Social Achievements of Methodism — Hon. Amos Lane — Hon. Henry 
Blasdell — Hon. John H. Thompson — Rev. Samuel Brenton — Hon. 
James Whitcomb — Hon. Joseph A. Wright — Hon. Elisha Em- 
bree — Hon. R. W. Thompson — Hon. Henry S. Lane — Hon. A. C 
Downey — Hon. Will Cumback — Mrs. Larrabee — Mrs. Locke — Mrs. 
Julia Dumont — Father Stockwell — Hon. W. C. De Pauw — John C. 
Moore — Indiana Missionaries — Elect Ladies — Eveline Thomas — 
Lydia Hawes. 

WHILE the mission of Methodism has -been emphat- 
ically to the common people, and while its leaders 
have neA^er sought the patronage of the State, nor 
courted the special favor of those in power, it has, never- 
theless, contributed its share toward molding the in- 
stitutions of the State, developing and applying its 
educational resources, shaping its legislation, educating 
the public conscience, and furnishing a respectable share 
of our leading public men. Several of the members of 
the Convention that framed the first Constitution for the 
State were Methodists ; among whom was Rev. Hugh 
Cull, of Wayne County, who lived to be over a hundred 
years of age ; and Dennis Pennington, from Harrison 
County, who also served a number of years in the State 
Legislature. William Hendricks, who was secretary of 
the Convention, who was the third Governor of the 
State, and for some time a representative in Congress, 
was, in his later years, a member of the Methodist 
Church. 

Hon. Amos Lane, a leading lawyer of Lawrenceburg, 
and who represented his district several terms in Con- 
gress, became a member of the Church late in life. He 

16 



242 INDIANA METHODISM. 

had been a regular attendant upon the ministry of the 
Church all through life, and his house was always a wel- 
come home to the itinerant. His wife, who was a lady 
of superior endowments and liberal education, was a con- 
sistent, earnest Methodist, and carried the savor of true 
piety into all the circles in which she moved. 

Hon. Henry Blasdell, the worthy and popular Gov- 
ernor of Nevada, himself an active Methodist, is the son 
of worthy Methodist parents in Dearborn County. 

Hon. John H. Thompson, who united with the Church 
in his boyhood, was in public office in Indiana during the 
most of a long life. He was commissioned a justice of 
the peace by Governor Harrison before the State Govern- 
ment was organized. He was a member of the State 
Legislature for several terms, and served twelve years 
as president judge of a judicial circuit. He was Lieu- 
tenant-Governor for one term, and was Receiver of Public 
Moneys for several years. He was continually in im- 
portant offices for a period of thirty years. He never 
shrank from a frank profession of his faith on all suit- 
able occasions. He was gathered to his rest in the 
ninetieth year of his age. 

Rev. Samuel Brenton, the son of a worthy local 
preacher, himself an itinerant preacher until impaired 
health compelled him to desist, was for some time Pres- 
ident of Fort Wayne College, and for three terms a rep- 
resentative of that district in Congress, where his ability 
as a statesman was manifest and acknowledged. 

Hon. James Whitcomb, twice Governor of the State, 
ftnd United States Senator at the time of liis death, was 
a Methodist, and a superior Sunday-school teacher. He 
possessed superior talents, and was a gentleman of culture, 
and his administration as a governor left an impression 
on the State for good that will neter be wiped out. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 243 

Hon. Joseph A. Wright, twice Governor of the State, 
twice United States Minister to the Court of Berlin, and 
for some time United States Senator by appointment, 
was from early manhood a Methodist, a liberal-minded 
and efficient Christian worker. 

Hon. Elisha Embree, for some time circuit judge in 
the southern end of the State, and for one term a rep- 
resentative of his district in Congress, carried with him, 
on the bench and into the halls of national legislation, 
the influence of a noble Christian character. 

Hon. R. W. Thompson, a gentleman of rare talents 
as an orator, ripe in scholarship, profound as a jurist and 
statesman, served for many years in Congress, and filled 
other important trusts confided to him by the National 
Government, has, through a series of years, been iden- 
tified with the Church, sharing her privileges, and cheer- 
fully doing her work. 

Hon. Henry S. Lane, the gifted orator and distin- 
guished statesman, a representative in the National Con- 
gress for several terms, Governor of the State, and 
United States Senator, is an earnest Church worker, and 
has given much time to the educational interests of Meth- 
odism in Indiana. 

Hon. A. C. Downey, a distinguished jurist, and one 
of the Supreme Judges of the State, has been a faithful 
Church member from his boyhood, and is an earnest de- 
fender of Christian morality, and a consistent exem- 
plifier of Christian graces. 

Hon. Will Cumback served one term as a represent- 
ative in Congress, and one term as State Senator, and 
w^as elected Lieutenant-Governor of the State. Served 
as United States Paymaster in the army, during the Re- 
bellion, and has filled sundry offices, from the State and 
National Government, and always maintained a true 



244 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Christian character. He is an earnest Sabbath-school 
worker, and a bold advocate of Christian morality. 

Methodism has furnished two of the most popular and 
efficient Presidents of the State University that that in- 
stitution has ever had — Dr. Daily and Dr. Nutt. She 
has furnished three of the Superintendents of Public In- 
struction for the State ; to wit, W. C. Larrabee, who 
served two terms ; G. W. Hoss, who served two terms ; 
and Miles J. Fletcher, who was killed by a railroad dis- 
aster, during the War, early in his term of service. 
Methodism is well represented in all the professions. 
She has furnished a liberal share of writers and educat- 
ors, considering the age of our State. Few schools have 
done more to advance female education than the seminary 
founded at Greencastle by Mrs. Larrabee, and conducted 
by her for a number of years. Mrs. Locke, the wife of 
Rev. George Locke, and mother of Rev. John W. Locke, 
D. D., was among the early educators in Indiana. She 
taught school and supported the family, while her hus- 
band traveled and preached the Gospel to the poor. 
Mrs. Julia Dumont, of Yevay, was in the front rank of 
gifted writers and poets, in the early history of the 
State. Father Stock well, of Lafayette, Hon. W. C. 
De Pauw, of New Albany, and the late John C. Moore, 
founder and patron of Moore's Hill College, each, by 
their generous contributions to the cause of education, 
rank in the list of public benefjictors. These are some 
of the contributions of Methodism to the front ranks of 
cultivated society in Indiana. 

Methodism in Indiana has contributed to the number 
of Christian workers in heathen lands. Two of the mis- 
sionaries now laboring in South America, Rev. H. G. 
Jackson, Superintendent of the Missions, and Rev. 
Thomas B. Wood, son of Dr. Aaron Wood, are both from 



INDIANA METHODISM. 245 

Indiana. Rev. W. S. Turner, from Indiana, was the first 
Methodist preacher ever stationed in the Sandwich Isl- 
ands. Joseph R. Downey and wife, Avho went as mis- 
sionaries to India, in 1859, have, by their labors and 
their death in that mission field, established a bond of 
sympathy between that vast empire and Christian hearts 
in Indiana, that will never be broken until Christ shall 
receive the " heathen for his inheritance, and the utter- 
most parts of the earth for his possession." 

But the glory of the Church is seen, not so rnvxh in 
the prominence of a gifted or privileged few, nor in the 
liberality of her wealthy men, although these are ele- 
ments of power, and may be instruments of good, as in 
the thousands that have been reclaimed from sin, and are 
walking in the light* of Christian purity and love, and in 
the tens of thousands who, converted in their youth, 
have been guided in the paths of knowledge and useful- 
ness and honor, through the Church's instrumentalit}^ 

In nearly every community there have been " elect 
ladies " who by their intelligent piety, and ardent yet un- 
ostentatious Christian zeal, have contributed much to the 
Church's influence. Eveline Thomas, in the city of Mad- 
ison, although a lady of comparatively delicate constitu- 
tion, and retiring disposition, was, nevertheless, in that 
community, for the space of some twenty years, a recog- 
nized Christian power. The depth of her Christian ex- 
perience, the strength of her faith, and the cheerfulness 
of her piety, combined with Christian activity in the 
sphere of her labor, gave her a prominence that she 
never sought, and a power of which she was all un- 
conscious. Lydia Hawes, of Indianapolis, whose singing 
is almost national in its reputation, not so much from its 
artistic culture as from the rich tones of her voice, es- 
pecially when under strong religious emotion, and the^ 



246 



INDIANA METHODISM. 



melting pathos with which she gives utterance to the 
grand truths of theology, and the great and precious 
priAdleges of Christian experience as embodied in the 
hymnology of the Church, — her labors have been won- 
derfully blessed through a period of more than thirty 
years. Few ministers equal her in efficiency, in times 
of religious revivals. She is remarkably successful in 
leading penitents to Christ ; and the fervor of her pray- 
ers, the inspiration of her singing, and the narration of 
her rich Christian experience, often make a profounder 
impression than the most searching appeals from the 
pulpit. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 247 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The Fathers — Rev. A. Wood, D. D. — Rev. Joseph Tarkington — Rev. 
Enoch Wood, D. D. — Rev. John Schrader — Rev. John Miller — Rev. 
Amasa Johnson — Rev. Asa Beck — Rev. James Scott — Rev. Elijah 
Whitten — Rev. Henry S. Talbott — Rev. Richard Hargrave — Rev. 
Robert Burns — Rev. John W. Sullivan — Rev. David Stiver — Rev. 
James T. Robe — Rev. Charles Bonner — Rev. John Kearns — Rev. 
John C. Smith — Rev. John A. Brouse — Rev. James Havens — Rev. 
Calvin W. Ruter — Rev. Allen Wiley — Rev. Augustus Eddy. 

The Fathers. 

PROMINENT among the fallen heroes of Indiana 
Methodism who toiled, suffered, and died to lay the 
foundations of the Church, in the early settlement of our 
state, are the names of John Strange, Allen Wiley, Cal- 
vin W. Ruter, James Armstrong, James Havens, N. B. 
Griffith, James L. Thompson, James Jones, William 
Shanks, William Cravens, Edwin Ray, Amasa Johnson, 
and George M. Beswick. These, with many of their as- 
sociates, many of them their peers in ability, and equally 
useful in their day, though not so widely known, all died 
in the faith. But some of the Fathers are yet with us. 
whose heroic deeds and self-sacrificing piety the Church 
will garner up and cherish as a precious legacy. 

REV. A. WOOD, D. D. 

Brother Wood was licensed to preach, August 24, 
1822, by John Strange, then presiding elder of Lebanon 
District, Ohio Conference, by a vote of the Quarterly 
Conference of Mad-river Circuit, and the same Fall was 
admitted on trial into the Ohio Conference, and appointed 



248 INDIANA METHODISM. 

as junior preacher on London Circuit, with George W. 
Maley as preacher-in-charge. He traveled 2,260 miles 
during the year, and preached 233 times. 

Brother Wood's parents were eminently pious. He 
was saved in his youth from every form of immorality, 
and- early obtained a knowledge of his personal accept- 
ance with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, and united 
with the Church. He was born in Virginia, October 15, 
1802, and was brought by his parents to the state of 
Ohio when but three years of age. He had aptness for 
learning, and secured a good English education, including 
a knowledge of English grammar. He formed in youth 
a taste for reading, and a habit of study, which have 
characterized him all through life. In the Summer of 
1820 he began to lead prayer-meetings, and occasionally 
exhort; and in December, 1820, he was licensed to ex- 
hort by R. W. Finley ; and during that Winter he took 
his first lesson in itinerancy, traveling a part of the way 
around the circuit with A. S. M'Lane. During 1821, 
Mr. Wood spent most of his time in school, working on 
the farm out of school hours, and in the Winter of 
1821-22 he taught school. 

September 10, 1823, the Ohio Conference closed its 
session in Urbana. At this session young Wood was ap- 
pointed to Connersville Circuit, in the eastern border of 
Indiana. On the 12th of September he left his father's 
house for his new circuit; this was on Friday, and he 
rode to Father Mosser's, who resided twelve miles from 
Dayton. On Saturday he rode to Centerville, Indiana, 
which he reached late in the evening, having traveled 
sixty miles during the day. He spent the Sabbath in 
Centerville, and preached in the court-house ; and on 
Monday, October 15, 1823, arrived at Connersville, the 
head-quarters of his new circuit. During this year he 



INDIANA METHODISM. 249 

traveled 2,250 miles, preached 288 times, did not miss 
a single appointment during the year, and receiA'^ed forty 
dollars for his support. 

In September, 1824, the Ohio Conference met at 
Zanesville, at which Mr. Wood was received into full 
connection, and ordained deacon by Bishop Roberts. At 
this Conference he was appointed to Madison Circuit as 
junior preacher, Avith Allen Wiley in charge. 

Beginning with 1822, Dr. Wood traveled the follow- 
ing circuits : 1822, London Circuit, in Ohio ; 1823, Con- 
nersville, in Indiana ; 1824, Madison ; 1825, Yincennes ; 
1826, Bloomington; 1827 and 1828, Mt. Carmel, in Illi- 
nois; 1829, Corydon, Indiana; 1830, Vincennes ; 1831, 
Mt. Carmel, Illinois, — when he located, and remained in 
the local ranks until 1834, when he Avas appointed pre- 
siding elder on Yincennes District, having been read- 
mitted into the Conference. In 1836 and 1837, he was 
agent for Indiana Asbury University. In 1837, he was 
stationed in New Albany. In 1838, he was aj^pointed 
presiding elder on Laporte District, Avhere he remained 
four years. In 1842, he traveled Laporte Circuit. In 
1844 and 1845, he was agent for Indiana Asbury Uni- 
versity. From 1846 to 1851, he Avas agent for the 
American Bible Society; in 1852 and 1853, stationed 
in Terre Haute; 1854, Greencastle District, Avhere he 
remained four years; 1858 and 1859, stationed in In- 
dianapolis. From 1860 to 1862, he Avas agent for As- 
bury University; 1863, stationed in Perrysville, and re- 
turned the second year; but during the year Avas put in 
charge of Indianapolis District, Avhere he remained until 
Conference, Avhen he Avas stationed in Ninth Street, La- 
fayette; 1866 and 1867, stationed in Michigan City. In 
1868, he Avas appointed Moral Instructor in the Northern 
Indiana State-prison, at Michigan City, Avhich position 



250 INDIANA METHODISM. 

he still holds. No other man in Indiana has had so large 
and varied an experience as Dr. Wood. He has enjoyed 
a personal acquaintance with the leading men of all par- 
ties in every county in the state. In his early ministry 
his circuits, many of them, embraced several counties 
apiece ; and when presiding elder his districts included 
large portions of the state. And in his work as Bible 
agent, and agent for Indiana Asbury University, he was 
brought in contact with the people in every part of the 
state. He has had a healthy mind in a healthy body all 
through life. He enjoys an excellent flow of spirits, and 
has been a genial companion for intelligent people from 
his youth. His sermons are delivered extempore, except 
on special occasions. He is the author of several printed 
discourses. His oration on the occasion of the erection 
of the monument to Bishop Roberts, in the college 
campus at Greencastle, was a written performance, and 
reflected credit upon its author. As a preacher, he is 
fluent and perspicuous, and the matter of his sermons is 
evangelical and practical. He has represented his Con- 
ference in several sessions of the General Conference, 
and has always enjoyed the unlimited confidence of his 
brethren. He has been a faithful friend and patron of 
education, giving both time and means to the advance- 
ment of our literary institutions. His pulpit labors have 
been strengthened and enforced by the cheerfulness of 
his piety and the purity of his life. 

REV. JOSEPH TARKINGTON. 

The following sketch of the life and iimes of Rev. 
Joseph Tarkington, one of the fi^ithers of Indiana Meth- 
odism, will be none the less interesting because written 
in the first person : 

" I was born near Nashville, Xennessee, October 30, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 251 

1800. My early religious training was in accordance 
with Episcopal usage, my parents having been reared in 
that order of faith. The first impressions on my mind 
in regard to the instability of earthly hopes and expecta- 
tions, were made at the time of the severe earthquake 
which visited Tennessee and the Mississippi country in 
1811. The incidents connected with this ^stirring time' " 
are fresh in my memory to-day. Sixty years ' are as a 
few days ' in this connection. 

" On a pleasant Sabbath evening, the children, having 
retired early, were called down-stairs, with the announce- 
ment that the house w^as falling down ; and in great fear 
and trepidation Ave sat up the entire night, my fjither go- 
ing out frequently to ascertain whether evil-disposed per- 
sons might not have shaken the house, by some means, 
in order to terrify the family. The dusty old prayer- 
book w\as brought forth from its place, its pages scanned 
eagerly to find something pertaining to earthquakes ; 
but as we could find nothing, we felt that the interests 
of a large and flourishing family were in jeopardy for 
lack of the much needed prayer. After a night of 
watching and fear, it was agreed that we should say 
nothing about our fears or their cause, lest we be ridiculed 
by our neighbors. But with the morning came the neigh- 
bors, w^ith startling accounts of this strange visitation; 
and w^hile they yet talked of this night of terrors, a 
sound like loud, distant thunder startled them. Rush- 
ing out of the house, they found the earth trembling 
violently and the trees vibrating hither and thither. 
' Surely,' thought they, ' the end has come ; ' and the 
promises made to God by the terrified people were not 
few nor far between. But it was soon found that the 
earth was still in its orbit, and revolved as usual, and 
many forgot the solemn promises made to the Lord in 



252 INDIANA METHODISM. 

the day of his power; but many others, as a result of 
this convulsion of nature, chose the better part — lived 
and died faithful followers of Him who holds the storms 
in his hands. But' while I remember with satisfaction 
the salutary effect of this ' shaking ' on the lives and con- 
duct of many of my friends and acquaintances, I could 
not conscientiously recommend earthquakes as a usual 
means of grace. 

"At the close of the Avar of 1812, my father moved 
to the territory of Indiana, and settled on White River, at 
the block-house built by General Harrison, now Edwards- 
port, Knox County. This was then a wild country, and, 
the war having just ended, the fear and dread of In- 
dians still gave the pioneer and his children much un- 
easiness. On one occasion a band of Indians, on their 
way to Yincennes, came up to our cabin suddenly, and 
the children, in alarm, scattered in every direction. The 
Indians, comprehending the situation of the little pale- 
faces, gave a hearty laugh, and resumed their journey, 
the squaws bringing up the rear, in regular ^Indian file,' 
each riding her pony, ^ not sidewise, but otherwise.' 

" Our family being sick much of the time at this place, 
it was deemed expedient to find another location. So, 
after the necessary examination, my father bought a 
piece of land in Monroe County, w^est of Bloomington ; 
and to this place we moved in the Winter of 1816. In 
our new home we found it quite an undertaking to keep 
the family supplied with provisions. We could not send 
some of the smaller children to the corner grocery for 
needed supplies, but the older boys had io go regularly 
seventy-five miles to Shakertown for corn, which they 
got ground into meal when that was possible ; but when 
that could not be done, they took the corn home on 
their horses, and it was afterward pounded in home- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 253 

made wooden mortars. If my memory does not de- 
ceive me, the bread and mush made of this pounded 
corn tasted a little better than any eaten before or since 
that time. 

"It would be hard to forget some of the scenes of this 
frontier life. One, in particular, made an impression on 
my mind never to be eradicated. On one occasion, as I 
was returning with a load of corn, accompanied by an 
older brother, Ave met a neighbor who was traveling on 
a similar errand, who informed us that our little brother 
George had died at home two days before, and that in 
all probability we should see his flice no more. With 
grief-stricken and heavy hearts we hastened on, and 
arrived at home in time for the burial. Our f^ither had 
made a coffin by splitting a piece of timber, scooping out 
a trough from the lower, and a corresponding excavation 
from the upper piece, and then fastened them together 
with wooden pins. Thus prepared, the remains of our 
little brother were placed therein, and, with the assist- 
ance of our neighbors — two or three persons, all told — 
the coffin and its contents were lowered to its final 
resting. This was the first burial on Indian Creek, 
Monroe County. 

" Soon after Ave settled in Monroe County, and Avhile 
the country Avas comparatively a Avilderness, Methodist 
preachers Avould have appointments to preach whercA^er 
they could have hearers. The first meeting to AA^hich 
the children of the Tarkington family had access Avas 
just eight miles distant. We Avere all anxious to go ; 
so the larger children of the neio'hborhood, bovs and 
girls, Avalked this little distance barefooted, with shoes 
in hand, until near the house, Avhere a halt Avas called 
for putting on shoes before going into meeting. The 
good, broad, substantial shoes of that day, Avere not made 



254 INDIANA METHODISM. 

of glove-kid and paper-lined, but were made to last from 
season to season, and to descend from child to child, as 
they grew to fit them. The preacher was the E-ev. 
Morgan, and his text was Songs of Solomon ii, 3 : ^As 
the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is m}^ 
beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow 
with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.' 
It had been a long time since any of his hearers had 
seen or tasted an apple ; hence, his descriptions and com- 
parisons were the more striking and vivid to their minds. 
He contrasted the wicked as the tree of the woods, very 
knotty, and exceedingly crooked — with the righteous as 
the healthy apple-tree, very smooth and comely, and 
abounding in much good fruit. His description of the 
large, ripe, luscious apples, caused many of the young 
people, as Avell as old, to yearn after the good apples 
they had enjoyed in the years gone by. One of the 
results of that memorable sermon Avas that the writer 
had to make a pilgrimage seventy miles, to Knox 
County, in quest of young apple-trees ; and the pilgrim- 
age resulted favorably, for I carried home on horse- 
back tAventy-four trees ; and some of these same trees 
still stand in the old orchard at Stanford, Avhere, near 
by, may be found the graves of my parents and brothers, 
who there sleep in Jesus. 

"It was not very long, however, before there was 
a change for the better in reference to preaching. Rev. 
Daniel Anderson, a very good preacher, was sent as 
missionary to the new settlements in this part of the 
country. His work extended over much' territory, and 
he preached in the cabins or in the open air, as circum- 
stances dictated. He held a camp-meeting during this 
year near Eel River ; and I remember well, while plow- 
ing in the field, that the families of Freeland, Rollins, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 255 

and others, went past, with their bread, venison, and 
bedding packed on their horses, en route to camp-meet- 
ing. Mr. Benjamin Freeland had four children con- 
verted to God at this meeting, and, with true missionary 
zeal, one of them stopped on their return, and exhorted 
me to turn to the Lord and seek the new peace in which 
he now rejoiced ; and as he talked with an earnestness 
irresistible, I promised to attend the approaching camp- 
meeting near Bloomington, and endeavor to seek the 
Lord \ and I kept my promise faithfully. I went to the 
meeting intending to avail myself of all its privileges 
and benefits ; and on Sabbath evening, under the preach- 
ing of John Schrader, I was caused to cry for mercy, 
and about 11 o'clock I found joy and peace in believing 
on Jesus Christ. This was August 27th, 1820. 

" It will not be deemed surprising to many readers 
of these lines when I say that the events of that blessed 
camp-meeting, and the experience of that Sunday night, 
will never be forgotten by the one so much benefited 
thereby. It had been my desire that the Lord would 
bless me in private, and in a peculiar manner, and my 
prayers had been directed to this end ; but before the 
blessing came, I was willing to receive it in any manner, 
and on any terms. I left this camp-meeting, however, 
without connecting myself with the Church, not having 
made up my mind fully with which branch of God's 
people I expected to make my future home. Subse- 
quently, however, at a class-meeting led by my old 
friend, D. Rollins, I gave my name to Bev. David Cham- 
berlain, as a probationer in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. My parents were present, and saw with deep 
emotion the step I was taking. From this time forth 
the great concern in my mind was that father and 
mother, brothers and sister, should find the new hope, in 



256 INDIANA METHODISM. 

which I was so happy. It was not long before I was 
found leading in prayer at our class-meetings, and occa- 
sionally exhorting my young friends to accept the over- 
tures of mercy, and travel with me to the heavenly 
country. In- my public efforts in prayer and exhortation, 
I found great difficulty on account of my limited edu- 
cation; but feeling that there was something for me to 
do for the Heavenly Father, I commenced the study of 
English Grammar under the direction of my class-leader; 
and as I was in earnest, with a direct object in view, I 
made rapid progress. I was soon appointed class-leader 
by the new preacher, John Cord, and was much encour- 
aged in my new position during the year by a gracious 
reAdval of religion in our neighborhood. The next year 
(1822) Eev. James Armstrong was sent to the Bloom- 
ington Circuit, and, being a great favorite with my parents, 
he preached frequently at our house ; and it was during 
this year that I received license to exhort at his hands. 
During the year 1824, at a local conference — a feature 
that existed only four years in our Church-— I was 
licensed to preach the Gospel; and when Armstrong 
handed me the paper announcing the fact, he stated that 
there was immediate use for me, that one of the preach- 
ers on Booneville Circuit had failed on account of ill- 
health, and that I must depart for my field of labor 
immediately. Excuses of every kind proved unavailing, 
and as it seemed to be the will of the Lord, I consented 
to go. 

" When it became known in the neighborhood that I 
expected to go away, the members of my old class re- 
quested me to try to preach them a farewell sermon. 
Accordingly, a meeting was held at my father's house, 
the neighbors were all there,, and I talked as well as I 
could, urging them to hold fast to the faith, that we 



INDIANA METHODISM. 257 

might all meet in heaven, etc. At the close of the ser- 
mon I opened the doors of the church, and two or three 
came forward. A slight pause ensuing, my f^xther and 
mother, hand in hand, presented themselves as candi- 
dates for membership in the Church. 0, the joy of 
that hour ! The long-prayed-for event had happened ! 
To God be all the glory ! 

" The next morning found me on my way to my new 
field of labor, accompanied by the presiding elder, James 
Armstrong. It required about three weeks to get round 
to Booneville, and during this time we attended nine 
quarterly-meetings. By the time \ve arrived at our des- 
tination, I began to know, to some extent, at least, Avhat 
itinerancy meant. We found the Rev. 0. Fisher at his 
post. The quarterly-meeting was held in the court- 
house in Rockport, and on Sunday night, after the ser- 
mon by Fisher, I tried to exhort in the fear of the Mas- 
ter. Many came forward for the prayers of the Church, 
and conversions were numerous. It was a season of 
power, the victory on the Lord's side. The next morn- 
ing Fisher, myself, and others went into the country, to 
brother Barnett's, for breakfast. When taking leave of 
the family, and invoking the blessings of God to rest 
upon them, brother Fisher got to singing and shouting, 
and forgot that I was holding his horse, and patiently 
waiting for him outside. After w^aiting a long time, I 
hitched the horses and went into the house, and prevailed 
on him to resume our travels. After traveling some dis- 
tance, he again commenced singing, then shouting ; then 
he jumped off his horse, and singing and shouting was 
the order of the day. His horse, used to such things, 
waited by the way-side ; men and women passing, stopped 
to see what was the matter; and the feeling seeming to^ 
be contagious, the triumphant shout of victory, mingled 

17 



258 INDIANA METHODISM. 

with the penitent cry for mercy, made the woods rever- 
berate, and God was greatly glorified. This brother 
Fisher, my first colleague, was one of the most holy men 
I ever knew. 

" At the close of the Conference year, we started to 
Conference at Charlestown, stopping on our w^ay at a 
camp-meeting on Paoli Circuit. Here we met Richard 
Hargrave, who was also on his way to his first confer- 
ence. At this meeting we saw, for the first time, that 
celebrated preacher, Eev. William Cravens, noted for his 
peculiarities. The old man, discovering that George 
Randle, one of the young preachers, was dressed in what 
was considered a fashionable coat, said to Armstrong, in 
the hearing of all, ' Where did you get this young fog- 
maroony?' Armstrong replied, 'In the Wabash coun- 
try.' '- Well,' said Cravens, ' I'm afraid you'll never 
Methodize him.' Armstrong made no reply, but Ran- 
dle, greatly incensed, made some snappish rejoinder, and 
utterly refused to preach at this camp-meeting, on ac- 
count of this occurrence. Many were the apologies and 
excuses given for this speech of Father Cravens, but it 
was not arranged satisfactorily until the good old man 
got a new coat for Randle, cut in the most approved 
Methodistic style. These men, Cravens and Randle, 
were both singular men, but there was a vein of goodness 
and frankness about the former that made him friends 
wherever he traveled. 

" On one occasion, Cravens preached a sermon at a 
camp-meeting near Bloomington, in which he censured 
severely a recent Indiana Legislature, which had divorced 
almost all the numerous applicants who applied to it for 
that purpose. At the dinner hour, Dr. Maxwell, who 
had been a member of the said Legislature, endeavoring 
to justify its action in this respect, instanced many sup- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 259 

poscable cases, in addition to the case given in the New 
Testament, wherein it would be cruelty to refuse di- 
vorces. Not attempting to answer the arguments in de- 
tail, Cravens straightened himself up, and said, ' Is n't it 
wonderful Christ did not think of that?' This good- 
natured sally ended the discussion. 

" We arrived in due time at the seat of the Confer- 
ence. We junior preachers had to remain in the country 
adjacent until the commencement of the Conference. 
This Conference consisted of about twenty preachers, 
Bishops M'Kendree and Roberts presiding, the sessions 
held in an up-stairs room in the house of James Sharpe. 
I was received on trial, and appointed to Patoka Circuit, 
James Garner, Preacher-in-charge. Garner left his family 
at Charlestown, and was only able to visit them twice 
during the entire year. This might seem neglectful, yet 
how could he do better, when his entire receipts were 
twenty -eight dollars, my own fourteen dollars, while Hol- 
liday, the presiding elder, who lived in Greene County, 
Illinois, got little or nothing. Verily, the man who 
preached for money alone, in that day, was a little liable 
to disappointment. The outfit of the itinerant, at that 
day, in addition to horse, saddle, and bridle, was a pair 
of saddle-bags, Bible, hymn-book, thread and needles for 
repairs, and a package of tallow candles. I always car- 
ried candles to read by, and many cabins were thus lit 
up that had not seen the light of candles hitherto. The 
year on Patoka Circuit concluded with a good camp- 
meeting, at which Bevs. Aaron Wood and Richard Har- 
grave, from neighboring circuits, Avere present, and la- 
bored faithfully and efficiently in the service of the 
Master. And now, while I remember these two young 
men, and reflect that they are yet on the watch-towers, 
strong men for duty, preaching the same Gospel as of 



260 INDIANA METHODISM. 

old, and that I have been spared through the lapse of 
forty-five years to witness the achievements of these he- 
roes, I thank God and take courage. 

"At the Conference in Vincennes, in 1830, I was ap- 
pointed to Vevay Circuit. It was during this year that 
the wonderful camp-meeting on Crooked Creek, above 
Madison, Avas held. The good results of this meeting 
were felt in that part of the country for many years 
thereafter. About one hundred and forty persons were 
converted to God, and the power manifested in the con- 
viction and conversion of these persons was a marvel in 
the eyes of the stanchest believers. Fear and trem- 
bling seized sinners as soon as they came within the sa- 
cred influence, and a yielding to God seemed inevitable. 

" In the Fall of this year I was married by Allen 
Wiley, the presiding elder, to Maria Slawson, who has 
traveled the path of life by my side ever since. It was 
customary among those in high life, in that day (and we 
were of that respected class), to enjoy wedding tours, in 
order that the young couple might begin life under as fa- 
vorable auspices as possible ; consequently, we took our 
wedding-tour. We did not go to Niagara and to the 
White Mountains, nor to Lake Superior or to California, 
but we went to Conference, We were married in Switz- 
erland County, spent our first Sabbath at the noted camp- 
meeting on Crooked Creek. At its close, we resumed our 
travels, resting the first night near Columbus, taking a 
late breakfast at this place. Next morning we started 
west to Bloomington, via Brown County. Shortly after 
we started, it commenced raining, and continued all day 
long. To my suggestion that we had better stop at some 
house until the rain ceased, my spirited young bride an- 
swered, that she could stand the rain if I could. So we 
rode along all day, single-file along the trail, until night 



INDIANA METHODISM. 261 

overtook us. Arriving near the old salt-works, on Salt 
Creek, we found three little cabins, one-half mile apart. 
Stopping at the first one, we were told they could not 
accommodate us ; going on to the second, we found all 
the family sick ; and when we got to the third one, the 
woman informed us that she had nothing at all to eat ; 
that her husband was then gone to the settlements for 
food, and that she could do nothing for us. In this ex- 
tremity, we returned to the first cabin and asked the wo- 
man if we could not come in out of the rain. In an- 
swer, she said we must first go over to the salt-works 
and ask her husband. Leaving my bride waiting in the 
dark and rain, I made my way as best I x^ould to the 
works, and after our situation was fully stated, the hus- 
band agreed that we might stay with them, but as he had 
no place for our horses it would be necessary to build a 
pen for their accommodation. He soon arranged a torch, 
by the light of which we built a high fence around the 
horses, cut a few stalks of green corn from his little gar- 
den-patch, and then we went into the house, carrying our 
saddles with us, and we were heartily thankful we had a 
roof over us. We were soon warm and comfortable ; 
and, after holding family prayer, in which we remem- 
bered at a Throne of Grace the kind family who were en- 
tertaining the benighted strangers, we retired, occupying 
the only bed in the cabin. The bedstead was constructed 
by driving two pins into the wall, with boards laid across 
them, and then the straw bed. It Avas the best they 
could do, and we were content. My bride had in her 
pocket a biscuit brought from home, and the great ques- 
tion was, which should eat it. We finally compromised 
by dividing it. In the morning we found the horses all 
right, and we were soon on our way. When we arrived 
at Bloomington, where we had expected to have broken 



262 INDIANA METHODISM. 

our fast, we concluded to wait until we got to Stanford, 
where our relatives were glad to receive us ; and at two 
o'clock in the afternoon we sat down to our first meal 
since breakfast the preceding day. And now, as I write 
of the experience of that trip, my young bride knitting 
at my side, her hair much lighter now than then, gives it 
as her opinion that, while love is essentially necessary 
and very sustaining under ordinary circumstances, yet, 
for long bridal trips on horseback, she advises the newly 
married pair to depend mostly on a diet more substantial. 
"In the above sketches of my early life I have not 
written much of my own success in preaching the Gos- 
pel. I am glad, however, to remember many pleasant 
seasons I have enjoyed while trying to do my duty to 
God in pointing sinners to the Savior; and I am ex- 
pecting to enjoy the reunion of many friends in the 
better country, in the blest *^by and by.' I have seen 
the Church in its infancy, have witnessed its privations 
and discouragements, as also its successes and achieve- 
ments. I bless the Lord, that while I can boast of know- 
ing the simplicity and earnestness of the former times, I 
have delighted in the glory and grandeur of the latter 
days ; and my strong faith is, that if our Church is only 
true to herself, the golden day of her power and use- 
fulness is yet in the future. So mote it be." 

REV. ENOCH G. WOOD, D. D. 

Enoch G. Wood entered the traveling ministry in the 
Illinois Conference in 1827, at its session in- Mount Car- 
mel, Illinois, and his first appointment was to Charles- 
town Circuit, Indiana, as junior preacher, wdth George 
Locke and C. W. Ruter ; the latter being on the super- 
numerary list. Brother Wood has been on the effective 
list of itinerants ever since. In- youth he drew the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 263 

Gospel sword, threw away the scabbard, and has main- 
tained his position in the front of the army of invasion 
for forty-four years, and still claims to be a young man. 
He is young in heart, young in enterprise, and young in 
mental vigor, although mature in years and in expe- 
rience; and having spent the whole of his ministerial life 
in Indiana, and half of it in the presiding eldership, he 
deserves to be ranked among the fathers of the Confer- 
ence. Dr. Wood is an able preacher. His style is 
argumentative, and his sermons instructive. He lights 
the sanctuary with "beaten oil." He does not sacrifice 
to God that Avhich cost him nothing. His sermons give 
evidence of close thought and careful preparation ; and 
yet he uses the pen sparingly, if at all, in his pulpit 
preparations. Most of his sermons would do to go to 
the press just as delivered, and yet it is doubtful if he 
ever wrote a sermon in full. He has been a practical 
and earnest friend of education, giving much attention 
to the building up of the literary institutions under the 
care of the Church. Few men have given themselves 
as unreservedly to the ^vork of the ministry as Dr. 
Wood, and prosecuted that work with equal zeal and 
singleness of purpose for so many years. Dr. Wood has 
ever enjoyed the full confidence of his brethren. He 
has been four times elected to represent his Conference 
in sessions of the General Conference. 

REV. JOHN SCHRADER. 

John Schrader is now the oldest minister in Indiana. 
He entered the itinerancy in the Tennessee Conference 
in 1813, and has traveled large circuits in Indiana, Illi- 
nois, Missouri, and Arkansas. He preached the first 
sermon in New Albany, organized the first class, and: 
administered the sacrament of the Lord's-supper to themi 



264 INDIANA METHODISM. 

for the first time. That was in the Spring of 1818. He 
had been removed in the middle of the year, and placed 
on Silver-creek Circuit to supply the place of John 
Cord, who had to leave the circuit in consequence of 
having his house consumed by fire ; and, as the circuit 
was not able to make up his loss, and meet the pressing 
demands of his fiimily, Mr. Cord had to leave the circuit, 
and devote his attention for a season to secular pursuits. 
In taking charge of the circuit, he organized a few 
new preaching-places, one of which was New Albany. 
A few members had organized themselves into a class. 
To these Mr. Schrader preached in a tavern kept by a 
Mrs. Ruff, and administered the sacrament of the Lord's- 
supperj doubtless the first time that the ordinance was 
ever administered in that city. Upon the organization 
of the Missouri Conference in 1816, Mr. Schrader was 
included within its bounds. Upon the organization of 
the Illinois Conference, he fell within its bounds ; and 
upon the organization of the Indiana Conference, he was 
included within its territory. His name has been long 
on the superanuated list in the Indiana Conference, but 
the vine which he helped to plant in this virgin soil has 
sent out its branches, and overshadowed the land. He 
has seen "the wilderness blossom as the rose;" has lived 
to see " a little one become a thousand, and a small one 
a strong nation." 

REV. JOHN MILLER. 

John Miller was received on trial in the Missouri 
'Conference in the Fall of 1823, when that Conference 
included the settled portions of the country, from the 
western border of the Ohio Conference to the then prov- 
ince of Texas. His first appointment was to Sangamon 
♦Circuit, in Illinois, in Illinois District, with Samuel H. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 265 

Thompson as presiding elder. His second appointment 
was to Indianapolis Circuit, in 1824 ; the Missouri Con- 
ference having been divided, and the work in Indiana 
and Illinois included in the Illinois Conference. Indian- 
apolis was included in Madison District, and John Strange 
was the presiding elder. His third appointment was 
Paoli. His fourth appointment was Illinois Circuit. His 
fifth appointment was Vincennes Circuit. His sixth ap- 
pointment was Washington Circuit. In 1829, he was 
appointed to Mount Carmel Circuit, and, in 1830, was 
reappointed to the same charge. In 1831, he was ap- 
pointed to Corydon Circuit. At the organization of the 
Indiana Conference, in 1832, he was included in the In- 
diana work, and was appointed to Charlestown Circuit; 
and henceforward his name is connected with the work 
in Indiana. Brother Miller has traveled our largest 
circuits, filled some of the best stations in his Confer- 
ence. He has been a presiding elder, and a delegate to 
the General Conference, and has been ever true and 
fiiithful in all the relations he has sustained. For the 
last few years he has been on the superanuated list. His 
ministerial record is remarkably faultless. A man of 
large heart, warm sympathies, true friendships, unaf- 
fected modesty, and genuine piety, he was greatly loved 
by the people whom he served. In the days of his 
vigor he had a musical voice, which he knew well how 
to manage, for he was a charming singer. 

REV. AMASA JOHNSON. 

Amasa Johnson was received on trial into the trav- 
eling ministry at the first session of the Indiana Confer- 
ence, in 1832, and was identified with the work of the 
ministry in Indiana till the close of his life. Of him 
Hon. R. W. Thompson said, in his discourse before the 



266 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Indiana State Methodist Convention, on the "Fallen 
Heroes of Methodism :" " Having been received into the 
Church by Amasa Johnson, I should do injustice to my 
own feelings if I did not avail myself of this occasion 
to bear testimony to his self-sacrificing devotion, his un- 
questioned purity, and wonderful native abilities. Few 
men have entered the ministry with less education ; and 
yet his great sagacity, extraordinary memory, and fine 
iund of common sense, enabled him to overcome his 
early disadvantages ; so that he at last became one of 
the most effective and convincing preachers I ever heard. 
He made no attempt at oratory in its highest sense ; but, 
as he drew all his illustrations from familiar things, he 
never failed to reach both the judgment and the heart. 
If beauty is the greatest when unadorned, then his elo- 
quence was of no inferior kind ; for it wore none of that 
clothing which a cultivated imagination gives ; it was 
direct, impressive, and irresistible — the true eloquence 
of Nature. He had a keen and just sense of responsi- 
bility to God, and followed after truth for its own sake. 
Such men as he deserve far more of the world's respect 
than they generally receive, because the world loves 
show and ornament; but those to whom his ability and 
sterling worth are best known, will remember him, as I 
do, with sincere admiration for his memory." 

REV. ASA BECK. 

Asa Beck was admitted on trial in the Illinois Con- 
ference in 1828, and traveled successively Columbus, 
Fall-creek, Wayne, Connors ville, and Franklin Circuits. 
At the organization of the Indiana Conference he was in- 
cluded in the work in Indiana. He has traveled many 
of the largest circuits in the Conference, and was for 
many years an efficient preacher ; ' and his labors were 



INDIANA METHODISM. 267 

blessed to the conversion of many souls to God. Father 
Beck has been for a number of years on the retired 
list. 

REV. JAMES SCOTT. 

The name of James Scott first appears in connection 
with the work in Indiana in 1826, when he traveled 
Madison Circuit ; and from thenceforward for many years 
he is found among the active and laborious itinerants who 
preached the Gospel and planted Churches in the new 
settlements throughout Indiana. He possessed a keen, 
analytical mind, and in his early ministry was fond of 
debate. Several champions of Universalism had reason 
to remember the clearness of his logic, and the keenness 
of his satire, as well as his thorough familiarity with the 
Bible. Age and growing infirmities compelled him to 
superannuate a number of years since. 

REV. ELIJAH WHITTEN. 

Elijah Written was admitted on trial in the Indiana 
Conference at its first session in 1832. He had embraced 
religion a few years previous to this date, in Cincinnati, 
in the great revival in that city, under the ministry of 
Bev. Dr. Wilson. Whitten soon found that Calvinism 
was opposed to his clearest convictions of truth, and that 
the doctrines, usages, and general spirit of Methodism 
better accorded with his convictions and tastes ; and he 
accordingly united with the Methodist Church, entered 
the itinerant ministry, and devoted himself with unusual 
energy to the work of the ministry, until failing health 
compelled him to superannuate. In the days of his 
vigor, few men could present the doctrines of Christian- 
ity in a clearer or more forcible light than he. 



268 INDIANA METHODISM. 



REV. HENRY S. TALBOTT. 



Henry S. Talbott was admitted on trial in the Illi- 
nois Conference in the Fall of 1830. In the division of 
the Conference, he fell in the Indiana Conference, and is 
still identified with the itinerancy in the Indiana Confer- 
ence. He resigned the practice of medicine for the work 
of the ministry. He was a man of considerable culture, 
and an excellent preacher. He filled a number of respon- 
sible appointments, including that of presiding elder and 
delegate to the General Conference, and deserves to be 
ranked among the fathers of Indiana Methodism. 

REV. RICHARD HARGRAVE. ' 

KiCHARD Hargrave entered the traveling connection 
in the Fall of 1824, and has been identified with the 
work of the Methodist ministry in Indiana ever since. 
In the days of his vigor he was the prince of preachers. 
With a dignified and impressive personal presence, a 
clear, full voice, a distinct and ready utterance, and a 
thorough familiarity with Bible themes and Bible doc- 
trines, and a heart in full sympathy with his work as a 
Christian minister, his sermons were listened to with in- 
terest, although of unusual length. His sermons were no 
brief essays on distinct topics, as is quite too much the 
style of the pulpit now, but they were elaborate discus- 
sions of the grand doctrines of revelation. For nearly 
fifty years he has occupied a prominent place among the 
pulpit orators of the land. He has given to the public 
an excellent volume of sermons. Age and growing in- 
firmities have compelled him to superannuate, although 
his heart is in full sympathy with the itinerant work. 



INDIANA METHODISM, 269 



REV. ROBERT BURNS. 

Robert Burns entered the traveling ministry in the 
Illinois Conference in the Fall of 1826, and was a zeal- 
ous, laborious, and successful traveling preacher. He was 
gifted in exhortation. His appeals to the consciences 
and understandings of his hearers were searching and 
powerful. He continued effective until age and physical 
infirmities compelled him to locate. 

REV. JOHN W. SULLIVAN. 

John W. Sullivan entered the traveling connection 
on trial, in the Indiana Conference, at its session in Mad- 
ison, in the Fall of 1833, and has been connected with 
the itinerancy in Indiana ever since. He has been emi- 
nently useful, having had numerous revivals under his 
ministry. In his earlier ministry he was an excellent 
singer, and often powerful in exhortation. He was an 
excellent manager of revival meetings, and a good pas- 
tor. He has filled a number of important charges in his 
Conference with great acceptability. For several years 
past he has been Moral Instructor to the Southern Indi- 
ana State-prison at Jeffersonville. 

REV. DAVID STIVER. 

David Stiver was admitted on trial in the Indiana 
Conference in 1832, and labored efficiently for a number 
of years, and was appointed presiding elder on Center- 
ville District in 1838. Owing to unfortunate domestic 
troubles, he desisted from the active work of the minis- 
try for a number of years, but maintaining his Christian 
and ministerial standing as a local preacher. But yield- 
ing to his convictions of duty, and the judgment of his 



270 INDIANA METHODISM. 

brethren, he re-entered the Conference, and continued to 
labor until age and failing health compelled him to super- 
annuate. 

REV. JAMES T. ROBE. 

James T. Robe entered the traveling connection in the 
Illinois Conference in 1831, but on the organization of 
the Indiana Conference the ensuing year, he fell within 
its bounds, where he labored faithfully for a number of 
years, and finally located in the state of Michigan, where 
he has continued as a local preacher, rich in Christian 
experience, and ripening for the heavenly garner. 

REV. CHARLES BONNER. 

Charles Bonner was admitted on trial in the Illinois 
Conference in the Fall of 1828, and appointed to Fall- 
creek Circuit, in the vicinity of Indianapolis. His subse- 
quent fields of labor were in Indiana ; and, upon the di- 
vision of the Illinois Conference, and constituting the In- 
diana Conference, he was included in the bounds of the 
latter, where he continued to labor efiiciently for a num- 
ber of years, w^hen he located, entered into secular busi- 
ness, was unfortunate in trading, went to California, and 
met a sad death by being pierced through the body by 
the prongs of a pitchfork, as he was getting off from a 
load of hay. Charles Bonner was a good man, and, 
while in the work of the ministry, an efiicient preacher. 
He was a remarkably industrious man, but that industry 
w\as directed more to manual labor, in improving parson- 
age and church property, cultivating his garden, and 
chopping his own wood, than in intellectual labor for the 
better prosecution of his work as a minister. The Church 
is always the loser when her ministers have to give their 
attention to manual labor or secular pursuits j and no man 



INDIANA METHODISM. 271 

can be eminent as a minister, or long sustain a respecta- 
ble position in the ministry, who gives his time and 
strength to outside duties. Charles Bonner was a true 
friend and an admirable colleague, in the days of the old- 
fashioned circuits with two preachers, when the circuits 
had from twenty-four to thirty appointments to be filled 
by each preacher once in four weeks. He gathered many 
into the Church, and his memory is cherished by his co- 
laborers in the ministry. 

REV. JOHN KEARNS. 

John Kearns joined the Illinois Conference in 1827, 
and labored some twenty odd years in Indiana, filling a 
number of important stations, and serving for some time 
as presiding elder. He finally transferred to Minnesota, 
for a change of climate, where he continues an efficient 
minister of the Gospel. 

REV. JOHN C. SMITH. 

John C. Smith was admitted on trial into the travel- 
ing connection, in the Illinois Conference, at its session 
in Vincennes, in the Fall of 1830, and appointed to 
Rushville Circuit with Amos Sparks. His next appoint- 
ment was Lawrenceburg Circuit, where he remained two 
years ; and in the organization of the Indiana Confer- 
ence he was included within its bounds, and early took 
high rank as a gifted and zealous minister. For a num- 
ber of years he was recognized at the head of the young 
men of his age in the ministry in Indiana. No young 
man had entered the ministry in Indiana, at that day, 
whose educational advantages were superior to those of 
brother Smith. His style of preaching was popular, 
and through his labors multitudes were gathered into the 
Church. One of the most extensive revivals of religion 



272 INDIANA METHODISM. 

ever enjoyed by the Church in Indianapolis, was under 
his ministry while pastor of Wesley Chapel, on the cor- 
ner of Meridian and Circle Streets, in 1836 and 1837. 
Some years since, impaired health induced him to retire 
from the active work of the ministry. 

REV. JOHN A. BROUSE. 

John A. Brouse was admitted on trial in the Indiana 
Conference in the Fall of 1833. He traveled several 
large circuits, filled some important stations, was presid- 
ing elder for several terms, and once a delegate to the 
General Conference, and one year an agent for Asbury 
University. The financial demands upon him necessary 
to the support and education of a large family, induced 
him to retire from the active work of the ministry, and 
give his attention to secular pursuits. 

REV. JAMES HAVENS. 

Few names are more familiar in Methodist circles in 
Indiana than that of James Havens. He entered the 
traveling connection in the old Ohio Conference in 1821. 
He came to Indiana a few years later, and settled in 
Rush County, two miles west of Rushville, where he 
raised a large flimily, and where the family continued to 
reside until the children were all grown. Notwithstand- 
ing his family was located, Mr. Havens Avas emphatically 
an itinerant, traveling large circuits and districts, and 
often absent from home for weeks at a time. Mr. Ha- 
vens's early education was defective, and he could barely 
read when he joined the Conference ; but he had an 
energy that no obstacles could break down, a persever- 
ance that never abated until its end was reached, and an 
ability for both mental and physical exertion that en- 
abled him to accomplish what to most men would have 



INDIANA METHODISM. 273 

been impossible. He arose to a front rank in the min- 
istry, and made an impression upon general society that 
has been abiding. His knowledge of human nature was 
-wonderful, and he read the character of those with whom 
he came in contact by a sort of intuition, and he rarely 
ever made a mistake. His reproofs were scathing 5 and, 
in the early settlement of Indiana, he was for many years 
emphatically a terror to evil-doers. The stories of his 
encounters with the ro^vdies and roughs that were wont 
to disturb the early camp-meetings, and his uniform vic- 
tories over them, would constitute a volume of thrilling 
interest. And, although fearless as a lion in the presence 
of danger, he was, nevertheless, a man of the tenderest 
sympathies and warmest friendships. The results of his 
labors are seen in the social order and the general 
respect for religion wdiich every-where prevail through- 
out our state, as well as in the multitudes that were 
converted to God through his ministry. The fathers 
labored, and we are entered into their labors. Mr. Ha- 
vens secured a good general education, and was well read 
in theology and Church history. He was a delegate to 
several sessions of the General Conference. His sermons 
were well prepared, though never written. When asked 
why he did not use the pen in preparing for the pulpit, 
his reply was : " Do n't you. think the devil can read 
writing? I don't intend that he shall either forestall 
me or flank me." During a large part of his ministry 
he filled the of&ce of presiding elder, and exerted a com- 
manding influence, both among preachers and people. 

REV. CALVIN W. RUTER. 

Calvin W. Ruter was admitted on trial into the 
traveling connection in the old Ohio Conference in 1818. 
His ministerial labors were spent in Indiana. Upon the 

18 



274 INDIANA METHODISM. 

organization of the Missouri Conference he was a mem- 
ber of that body, as also of the Illinois Conference 
while it included the work in Indiana. During his long 
ministry he was several times placed either on the super- 
numerary or superannuated list, but, with returning 
health, was always found in the active itinerant ranks. 
He was for many years secretary of his Conference. He 
was an early and zealous friend of learning, and was one 
of the founders of Indiana Asbury University. He was 
a superior preacher, and one of the honored fathers 
of Indiana Methodism. 

REV. ALLEN WILEY. 

Allen Wiley entered the ministry in 1818, in the 
old Ohio Conference, but Indiana was the theater of his 
ministerial labors; and from 1818, down to 1848, the 
time of his death, he was closely identified with the in- 
terests of the Church in Indiana ; and he, perhaps more 
than any other one man, molded the character of Indiana 
Methodism. He looked more to the future than most 
of his associates, and he organized and planned and 
worked for the future. His literary attainments w^ere 
remarkable for the times in which he lived. He was a 
good Latin and Greek scholar, and every-Avhere recog- 
nized as a profound theologian. As a minister, his ser- 
mons, while presiding elder, made a profound impression. 
They were usually lengthy ; seldom, on the Sabbath, 
less than an hour and a half in length, but always list- 
ened to with interest. He was one of the projectors of 
Indiana Asbury University, and early saw the necessity 
for denominational schools. He was a remarkable stu- 
dent, and retained his habits of study to the close 
of life. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 275 



REV. AUGUSTUS EDDY. 



Augustus Eddy was licensed to preach in 1821, near 
Xenia, Ohio. He was admitted on trial in the old Ohio 
Conference, at its session in Zanesville in 1824; and 
here commenced that grand itinerant career w^hich con- 
tinued to the close of life, without a blot upon his char- 
acter. His first appointment was to the old Miami 
Circuit. He continued to travel large circuits until 
1831, when he was appointed presiding elder of the 
Scioto District, where he was continued two years. He 
then traveled two years on the Columbus District. In 
1835, he was stationed in Cincinnati, western charge, 
with Christie and Hamline as co-laborers. In 1836, he 
was transferred to Indiana Conference, and stationed in 
Indianapolis. His next appointment was Indianapolis 
District; then Whitewater District. He was next sta- 
tioned at Wesley Chapel, Mg^dison ; then presiding elder 
of Madison District ; and from Madison District he was 
appointed in charge of Lawrenceburg District. In 1818, 
he was transferred to the Ohio Conference, and stationed 
at Chillicothe. He was successively stationed at Ham- 
ilton and Xenia, and was then appointed presiding elder 
on West Cincinnati District. In 1855, he Avas trans- 
ferred to North Indiana Conference, and stationed in 
Richmond. His next appointment was Indianapolis Dis- 
trict, where he remained four years. He was then 
stationed at Kokomo, but a vacancy occurring on the 
Richmond District, he was appointed in charge of it, 
and served until the middle of the ensuing August, 
w^hen he was appointed post-chaplain in the United 
States Army at Indianapolis, w^hich position he con- 
tinued to fill for about four years. He was then returned 
to the Richmond District, where he labored for three 



276 INDIANA METHODISM. 

years. He was then appointed presiding elder on An- 
derson District, where he continued to labor until smit- 
ten down with disease. He closed his active work at 
Greenfield, where he held his last quarterly-meeting, 
January 15 and 16, 1870. His disease was malignant 
erysipelas, which terminated fjitally on the 9th of Feb- 
ruary, 1870. He was permitted to die at home, sur- 
rounded by his children and friends, in full possession 
^f his mental faculties, and in the triumphs of Christian 
faith. Mr. Eddy was an instructive and entertaining 
preacher ; his social qualities were fine ; he was happy 
at home, and delighted in the society of his friends. He 
was three times elected to a seat in the General Confer- 
ence. His life was grand and heroic. In the vigor of 
early manhood he buckled on the Gospel armor, and he 
never laid it off. His manly voice was a trumpet-blast 
that gave no uncertain sound; and when his Captain 
called he was at the post of duty, ready to obey the 
summons. The workman is removed, but his work 
remains. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 27 



CHAPTER XY. 

Methodist Educators— Rev. W. H. Goode, D. D.— Rev. Cyrus Nutt, 
D.D.— Rev. W. C. Larrabee, LL. D.— Dr. Tefft— Rev. T. H. Lynch, 
D. D.— Rev. John Wheeler, D. D.— Rev. T. A. Goodwin, A. M.— 
Rev. Philander Wiley, A. M.— Dr. Benson— Rev. William M. Daily, 
D. D.— George W. Hoss, A. M.— B. T. Hoyt, A. M.— Prof. Joseph 
Tiiigley, Ph. D.— Prof. S. A. Lattimore— Rev. Daniel Curry, D. D.— 
Dr. Nadal— Dr. Bragdon— Rev. B. F. Rawlins, D. D.— Albin Fel- 
lows, A. M.— J. P. Rouse, A. M.— Rev. B. W. Smith, A. M.— Rev. 
WJL. Goodwin, A. M.— Rev. O. H. Smitli, A. M.— William H. 
De Motte, A. M.— Rev. Thomas Harrison, A. M.— Rev. J. P. D. 
John, A. M.— Rev. John W. Locke, D. D.— J. M. Olcott, A. M.— 
Rev. J. H. Martin, A. M.— Rev. L. W. Berry, D. D.— Rev. Thomas 
Bowman, D. D.— Rev. Erastus Rowley, D. D.— Rev. G. W. Rice- 
Rev. A Gurney— Rev. R. D. Utter. 

Methodist Educators, 
rev. william h. goode, d. d., 

HAS the honor of being the pioneer Methodist educa- 
tor in Indiana, so far as an official appointment by 
the Church is concerned. In May, 1837, while travel- 
ing Lexington Circuit, within the bounds of the New Al- 
bany District, he was elected Principal of the New Al- 
bany Seminary, upon the resignation of Philander Ruter, 
A. M. Rev. C. W. Ruter, Presiding Elder of New Al- 
bany District, who was also chairman of the Board of 
Trustees of the Seminary, released Mr. Goode from his 
circuit, and he took immediate charge of the Seminary. 
At the ensuing Conference, which convened in New Al- 
bany in the Fall of the same year, Mr. Goode was ap- 
pointed to the charge of the Seminary, and at the same 



278 INDIANA METHODISM. 

time laboring jointly in the pulpit with the pastor of 
New Albany Station. 

Mr. Goode rendered efficient service both as a teacher 
and an administrator, while he remained in the institu- 
tion, but feeling himself called to the pastoral work, be- 
fore the next session of the Conference, he resigned the 
charge of the Seminary, and George Harrison, A. M., 
was elected in his place. 

About the commencement of the year 1854, while 
pastor of Richmond Station, Mr. Goode was elected to 
the presidency of the branch of Whitewater College lo- 
cated in that place. He consented to this, simply for the 
purpose of winding up the affiiirs of the department, and 
saving the institution from embarrassment. His serv- 
ices were not only financially valuable, but also of serv- 
ice to both teachers and scholars. Having wound up 
the affairs of the College in accordance wath his designs, 
his presidency expired with the expiration of the College. 

INDIAN WORK IN THE SOUTH-WEST. 

March 15, 1843, at Mr. Goode's residence in South 
Bend, being then in charge of the district embracing all 
the north end of Indiana, he received, under the hands 
of Bishops Soule and Morris, an appointment to the super- 
intendency of the Fort Coffee Academy, an institution 
about to be established among the Choctaw Indians, in 
the tract of country to which they had been removed, 
lying Avest of the state of Arkansas, and still known as 
the ^' Indian Territory." This institution had been pro- 
vided for by an act of the General Council of the Choc- 
taw Nation, appropriating from their annuity fund six 
thousand dollars a year, for a term of twenty years. 
This act had received the sanction of the proper depart- 
ment at Washington. By concurrence of the Council 



INDIANA METHODISM. 279 

and the Government authorities the entire control and 
management of the institution were committed to the 
Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
the society adding one thousand dollars per annum to the 
endowment. Male and female departments were sepa- 
rately provided for. The organization of the institution, 
with the entire control of its funds, was placed in Mr. 
Goode's hands, subject always to open inspection of his 
books and accounts by the authorities of the Choctaw 
Nation, and to annual examination by a committee of the 
Conference. With this, also, he had a missionary charge 
among the Indians. 

Rev. H. C. Benson Avas transferred from Indiana Con- 
ference to take the place of principal teacher. Rev. 
John Page, of Arkansas Conference, an educated Choc- 
taw, was Mr. Goode's assistant in labors among the na- 
tives. Other assistance was obtained as needed, from 
sources outside of the Conference. On receiving his ap- 
pointment, Mr. Goode went immediately to the Indian 
country. The site fixed for the male department was 
that of " Old Fort Coffee," vacated by the United States 
Government some four years previous, and then held by 
an Indian claim. It Avas a beautiful and commanding 
site, upon a high bluff of the Arkansas River, thirty 
miles above the state line. He took possession of the 
premises, bought out the Indian claim, remodeled some 
of the fort buildings, removed others and rebuilt in their 
places, and enlarged the farm-lands attached. Rev. H. C. 
Benson came on in a few months, and in the Autumn of 
that year the male department was opened. It was a 
manual-labor institution. The pupils selected by the 
General Council were boarded, clothed, and instructed in 
labor as well as in literary studies. The work prospered 
under Mr. Goode's hands, and among its first students 



280 INDIANA METHODISM. 

were those that have risen to places of prominence and 
usefulness among their people. As soon as the state of 
the finances would permit, buildings were placed under 
contract for the female department at New Hope, five 
miles distant from Fort Coffee, which were completed 
and occupied after Mr. Goode's return to Indiana. Mr. 
Goode had been transferred to Arkansas Conference, of 
which the Indian work was then an appendage. In 
J 844, he aided in the formation of the Indian Mission 
Conference at Tah-le-qua., in Cherokee Nation, serving as 
its first secretary. His connection Avith that work and 
with the South terminated with the Louisville Conven- 
tion in 1845. Having been elected to that Convention, 
he declined a seat, but attended its sessions as a specta- 
tor till separation was determined upon. At this point 
he resigned his work, and received a transfer back to 
North Indiana Conference, with an appointment to Peru 
District, then just vacated by the death of Hev. B. 
Westlake. And so terminated Mr. Goode's work in the 
South. The institution passed into the hands of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church South, and lingered on till 
near the expiration of the twenty years' term, when it 
expired in the confusion of the Eebellion. 

KANSAS AND NEBRASKA WORK. 

Mr. Goode was appointed, in 1854, to the superin- 
tendency of missions in Kansas and Nebraska, which 
were designed mainly for the white settlers, but em- 
braced labors among the Wyandots, Delawares, Shaw- 
nees, Kickapoos, and other Indian tribes resident in the 
country. No strictly literary work was under his con- 
trol at that time. The Church South had possession 
of our formerly flourishing institutions among the Shaw- 
nees, which had been built by Mr. Goode's labors. His 



INDIANA METHODISM. 281 

labors among the Indians were interesting, and in a good 
degree successful. He entered the field single-handed 
and alone. Transferred to Missouri Conference ; stayed 
long enough to lay the foundation of three annual con- 
ferences, and to see about one hundred ministers at 
work. He organized Kansas and Nebraska Conference 
in 1855, holding its first session in a cloth tent at Law- 
rence ; formed Nebraska Conference in 1860; Colorado, 
in 1864. While there, served four years as a member 
of the General Mission Committee. Few men have 
made a more valuable or a more enduring impression 
upon the interests of the Church than Dr. Goode. 

REV. CYRUS NUTT, D. D. 

The first meeting of the trustees of Indiana Asbury 
University was held in March, 1837; at which time Mr. 
Nutt was elected preceptor of the Preparatory Depart- 
ment, and arrangements were made to have that depart- 
ment opened at an early day. It required seven or 
eight days at that time to make the trip from Meadville, 
where Mr. Nutt then resided, to Greencastle, by the 
most speedy mode of travel, which was by stage and 
steam-boat. Mr. Nutt left Meadville about the 7th of 
May, and traveled by stage to Pittsburg, and thence by 
steam-boat to Cincinnati, and thence by stage to Green- 
castle, where he arrived on the sixteenth of the same 
month — having Avalked, however, from Putnamville to* 
Greencastle, as there was no public conveyance from the 
outside world to Greencastle at that day. Mr. Nutt was 
born in Trumbull County, Ohio, September 4, 1814. His 
early educational opportunities were necessarily limited 
in so new a country. His parents Avere educated people, 
and he was taught reading, writing, arithmetic, geog- 
raphy, and grammar, at home, during such leisure hours 



282 INDIANA METHODISM. 

as could be redeemed from manual labor. He, however, 
attended the country school in his neighborhood, when 
in session, which was about three months in the year. 
Such was young Nutt's desire for a liberal education 
that he improA^ed every opportunity for the acquisition 
of learning ; and when, at the age of eighteen, his father 
proposed to deed him a piece of land, in consideration 
of his faithful labors on the farm, he told him he would 
rather have a good education than any property. His 
father at first spoke discouragingly, but finally agreed 
to give him his time, and let him get an education by 
working his own way. He went immediately to an 
academy to prepare himself for college ; and in four 
years from that time he graduated at Alleghany Col- 
lege, Meadville, Pennsylvania, having supported him- 
self by teaching during the Winters, and at the same 
time keeping up his college studies. He graduated in 
1836, and was immediately appointed preceptor of the 
Preparatory Department in the same institution ; which 
position he filled for six months, when he was elected to 
the charge of the Preparatory Department of Indiana 
Asbury University, which had just been chartered by 
the Legislature of Indiana. Mr. Nutt was converted at 
a camp-meeting when in his twentieth year. He was 
appointed to the charge of a class of young men, as 
class-leader, while in college. He was licensed to ex- 
hort, and then to preach ; and he preached his first 
sermon not long after his arrival in Greencastle. 

He entered upon his duties at Greencastle on the 
5th of June, 1837, commencing the Preparatory Depart- 
ment in a small one-story brick building, with only two 
rooms ; the larger of which was occupied by the town 
school. The smaller room was then the only place 
accessible ; and there Dr. Nutt' began the literary 




'■«5A//<<J-„"ie 




^^t-^ytC 



INDIANA METHODISM. 283 

instruction of this since renowned University of the West. 
At the meeting of the Board of Trustees in September 
of the s<ame year, Mr. Nutt was elected Professor of 
Languages. In 1841, he was elected Professor of Greek 
and Greek Literature and Hebrew, which he held until 
the Fall of 1843, when he resigned and took pastoral 
work in Indiana Conference, and was appointed to 
Bloomington Station. He had been admitted into the 
Conference at its session in Rockville in 1838, and or- 
dained deacon by Bishop Soule at Indianapolis in 1840, 
and elder by Bishop Morris at the Conference in Center- 
ville in 1842. He remained in charge of Bloomington 
Station two years, and the year following was stationed 
at Salem. His ministry was eminently successful in 
each of these charges. In the Fall of 1848, he returned 
to the University; having been elected to the Chair of 
Greek Language and Literature, made vacant by the re- 
signation of Professor B. F. TefFt, who took charge of 
the Ladies Repository/, at Cincinnati. In 1849, Dr. Nutt 
was elected President of Fort Wayne Female College, 
which he accepted and held for one year, when he 
resigned and accepted the Presidency of Whitewater 
College, which had been tendered him by the trustees 
of that institution, the climate of Northern Indiana not 
agreeing with Mrs. Nutt, w^ho Avas a native of Ken- 
tucky. He entered upon the duties of the Presidency 
of the Whitewater College at Centerville, Indiana, in 
the Fall of 1850. The school flourished under his ad- 
ministration, and the number of students increased from 
one hundred and forty to more than three hundred. 
During the whole of this time he held the position either 
of trustee or Conference Visitor to Indiana Asbury Uni- 
versity, and took a lively interest in all the affairs of 
the Church He remained five years at the head of 



284 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Whitewater College, when he resigned to again enter 
upon the actiA^e work of the ministry; and at the ses- 
sion of the North Indiana Conference in Goshen, in 1855, 
he was appointed presiding elder on Richmond District, 
where he remained two years ; during which an almost 
constant revival was in progress nearly all over his 
district. 

In the Fall of 1857, he was elected to the Chair of 
.Mathematics in Indiana Asbury University. He was 
elected Vice-President of the Faculty. Hon. David 
M'Donald, who had been elected to the Presidency of the 
University, having declined to accept, the charge of the 
administration of the University devolved upon Dr. 
Nutt for nearly two years, during one of the most critical 
and important periods in its history, until Rev. Thomas 
Bowman, D. D., took charge of the institution, in the 
Spring of 1859. 

The University was conducted with great skill and 
success by Dr. Nutt and his associates, and fully re- 
covered from the disaster that had unfortunately over- 
taken it in 1856-57. In 1859, he received the degree 
of Doctor of Divinity from his Alma Mater, Alleghany 
College, and from which he had received, in due course, 
the degree of A. M. in 1839. In 1860, he Avas a dele- 
gate to the General Conference, from North Indiana Con- 
ference, leading his delegation, and served in that mem- 
orable session as a member of the Committee on the 
Episcopacy, and also on the Committees on Education, 
Judiciary, and Lay Delegation, and proved himself an 
industrious and useful delegate. In 1860, Dr. Nutt was 
elected President of the Indiana State University nt 
Bloomington, which position he still holds (1871) ; and 
under his prudent and skillful management the State 
University has greatly prospered.- The annual income 



INDIANA METHODISM. 285 

has increased from six thousand five hundred dollars to 
twenty-five thousand dollars. The Faculty numbers 
thirteen, and the students have increased from about one 
hundred to more than three hundred, all of whom are in 
the regular College Classes and the Law Department, the 
Preparatory Department having been abolished in 1867. 
Four thousand five hundred volumes have been added to 
the library, and the philosophical and chemical apparatus 
has been greatly enlarged. 

The State University has prospered beyond precedent 
since Dr. Nutt has been at the head of its affairs. Dr. 
Nutt was elected President of Iowa State University in 
1842, but declined to accept. He was a member of the 
State Convention in 1854, which organized the State 
Teachers' Association, and established the Indiana School 
Journal. Both as a minister of the Gospel and as an ed- 
ucator, Dr. Nutt has been eminently successful, and will 
leave upon the generation that comes after him an abid- 
ing impression for good. 

REV. W. C. LARRABEE, LL. D. 

Professor Larrabee w\as a pioneer teacher in the 
Methodist Church. An academy at New Market, New 
Hampshire, afterward transferred to Wilbraham, Massa- 
chusetts, and the institution in New York City under the 
charge of Dr. Bangs, were the most prominent Method- 
ist schools in operation when he began to teach. Au- 
gusta College, in Kentucky, and a few academies, were 
just beginning to get under w\ay. Besides those engaged 
in these schools, the other early teachers in the Method- 
ist Church w^ere his contemporaries, or came after him. 
When he commenced, the great system of education 
which the Church has built in America was only dreamed 
of. The workmen were laying the foundations, all 



286 • INDIANA METHODISM. 

unconscious of the magnitude of the fabric which was to 
be built thereon. When his work is measured, it will be 
found to haA^e been second in importance to that of few, 
if any, educators of his generation. 

Mr. Larrabee was born at Cape Elizabeth, in Maine, 
a few miles from the city of Portland, December 23, 
1802. His early opportunities for acquiring an education 
were limited. The story of his heroic struggles to ac- 
quire an education is instructive, but can not be here re- 
lated. Acting upon the advice of judicious friends, he 
resolved to acquire a liberal education. He entered the 
Sophomore Class in Bowdoin College at the commence- 
ment of 1825. He taught during vacation. During two 
terms of his Junior, and also his Senior Year, he labored 
as assistant in the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, at Kent's 
Hill. He graduated in 1828, second in a class of twenty. 
Immediately after graduation he was, upon the recom- 
mendation of Professor Upham, called to the charge of a 
newly established academy at Alfred. Here he spent 
two years happily and prosperously. When the Wes- 
leyan University at Middletown was opened, he was ap- 
pointed tutor, and the actual teacher of the schooi, under 
the direction of Dr. Fisk, who was not yet ready to take 
personal charge of the institution.^ There were five or 
six Freshmen, and some twenty Preparatory, in his 
class. This was the beginning of the Wesleyan Univer- 
sit}^ The following year, Mr. Larrabee was elected 
Principal of the Oneida Conference Seminary at Cazeno- 
via. New York. 

In 1835, Professor Caldwell having resigned the 
Principalship of the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, to accept 
a professorship in Dickinson College, Mr. Larrabee ac- 
cepted the charge of that institution, and while engaged 
in that institution, he assisted Dr: Jackson in the first 



INDIANA METHODISM. 287 

geological survey of the state. Mr. Larrabee was a dele- 
gate to the General Conference of 1840, which met in 
the city of Baltimore. Here he met Dr. Simpson, then 
President of Indiana Asbury Fniversity, E. R. Ames, 
and other Indiana delegates, who, among other, things, 
were looking for a professor for the new university in In- 
diana. The result of this acquaintance was, that at the 
ensuing meeting of the Board of Trustees he was elected 
Professor of Mathematics and Natural Science in Indiana 
Asbury University. He accepted the position, and re- 
moved to Indiana in 181 1. Dr. Simpson retired from 
the University in 1848, having been elected editor of the 
Western Christian Advocate, at Cincinnati. Rev. E. R. 
Ames was elected to the Presidency of the Univer- 
sity, but declined ; and for one year the duties of the 
Presidency devolved on Professor Larrabee, in addition 
to the regular duties of his Chair. 

While professor in Asbury University, Mr. Larrabee 
visited West Point Military Academy as a member of 
the Examining Committee. 

In 1852, Mr. Larrabee was elected editor of the La- 
dies Repository. He declined accepting the position, hav- 
ing been nominated for Superintendent of Public Instruc- 
tion for the State of Indiana; but he discharged the 
duties of editor of the Repository for six months. Pro- 
fessor Larrabee Avas elected Superintendent of Public 
Instruction, and was the first the State ever had. Here, 
as in many other departments, his work w\as that of a 
pioneer. He entered upon the duties of his office, No- 
vember, 1852. The few public schools that were in the 
state were poorly organized. They had to be reduced to 
system, and in accomplishing this, Mr. Larrabee had to 
encounter a large amount of popular prejudice. But he 
was enthusiastic in his work, and felt that he had a mis- 



288 INDIANA METHODISM. 

sion to fulfill in the department of education, and was 
glad of an opportunity of shaping the educational policy 
of the State. He had taken a deep interest in the de- 
bates on common schools, in the Constitutional Conven- 
tion. He had watched the progress of the School Law of 
1852 through the Legislature, and had aided in shaping 
it. He believed if the law were carried out according to 
its intent, that it would give the state an educational sys- 
.tem equal to the most advanced States in the Union. 
He personally visited most of the counties in the state, 
made exphmations, and answered objections. He worked 
diligently and conscientiously; but the measure and value 
of his success can not be easily determined, for the decis- 
ions of the Supreme Court, and acts of succeeding Legis- 
latures, in accordance with them, and to satisfy local 
prejudices, overthrew, for the time being, the most marked 
features of the hiw, and the ones to the development of 
Avhich he had directed his chief efibrts. 

In 1854, Mr. Larrabee was defeated for a re-election, 
owing to intense political excitement, and the defeat of 
the State ticket on which his name w^as placed. In 1856, 
he was elected to a second term. The school system 
Avas still staggering under the blows of the Supreme 
Court, and consequent modifications of the School Law, 
and the results so fondly anticipated and earnestly la- 
bored for by Professor Larrabee were not realized. He 
retired fioni office in January, 1859, and, notwithstanding 
he failed to see the fruit of his labors as a general su- 
erintendent, as he desired, the results of his labors are 
yet seen ; and the system of public schools inaugurated 
by him are now the pride and glory of the State. 

Professor Larrabee commenced preaching in 1821, 
and became a member of the Conference in 1832. He 
was an instructive and entertaining preacher; but his 



INDIANA METHODISM. 289 

great life-work, and that for which he Avill be chiefly re- 
membered, is that of an educator. At the time of Pro- 
fessor Larrabee's death, there were more men in prom- 
inent positions who had received their education in 
whole or in part from him than from any other educator 
in the Methodist Church. Professor Larrabee contrib- 
uted to the literature, as well as to the scholarship 
of the Church. His " Scientific EAddences of Natural 
and Revealed Religion," composed chiefly of such of his 
college lectures as bore on that subject, was published 
during his connection with Asbury University. Also, 
"Wesley and his Coadjutors," and "Asbury and his 
Coadjutors." He also published a volume, consisting 
chiefly of articles that had been contributed to the 
Ladies Repository^ with the title of " Rosa Bower." Pro- 
fessor Larrabee died on the morning of the 4th of May, 
1859, after a confinement to his bed of about six weeks. 
Mrs. Larrabee had died the January preceding. 

Professor Larrabee was a remarkably kind-hearted 
and generous man. He was a ripe scholar, and " apt to 
teach." Few men equaled him in the duties of the 
recitation-room. His memory will remain fnigrant while 
any of his pupils live. Hon. R. W. Thompson said of 
him, in his sketches of the "Fallen Heroes of Meth- 
odism:" "Larrabee had a mind well stored with classic 
literature, and, though not eloquent in the popular sense, 
was not deficient in those high qualities of mind with- 
out which oratory can not exist. His style was easy 
and graceful, showing at once the extent of his erudi- 
tion. While his mind had a mathematical tendency, yet 
much that he said and Avrote bore the impress of a re- 
fined fancy, and left the most lasting and valuable im- 
pressions." 

19 



290 INDIANA METHODISM. 



REV. B. F. TEFFT, D. D. 

Dr. Tefft graduated at the Wesleyan University, in 
Middletown, Connecticut, in 1836. He taught in the 
Maine Wesleyan Seminary four years ; from whence he 
was called to the Principalship of the Providence Con- 
ference Academy, where he remained but one year, 
when he entered the pastoral Avork, and was stationed in 
the city of Boston. Dr. TefFt came to Indiana in 1843, 
having been elected Professor of Greek Language and 
Literature in Indiana Asbury University; which position 
he filled for three years, when he entered upon the editor- 
ship of the Ladies Repository^ at Cincinnati, which posi- 
tion he occupied for six years. He was then elected to 
the Presidency of Genesee College, New York. His 
next official position w^as that of United States Consul to 
Stockholm and Sweden, and then United States Minister 
to the same country; and for several years Dr. Teift 
has spent most of his time in Europe. Although he re- 
mained but a few years in Indiana, yet he made an 
abiding impression in favor of sound and sanctified 
learning, and deserves a prominent place among the 
Methodist educators of the State. His scholarship was 
thorough, and his abilities, whether as a teacher, writer, 
lecturer, or preacher, were of a high order. He had the 
rare faculty of inspiring young men with a love for 
learning ; and many Avho now occupy prominent positions 
in different parts of the world, owe much of their suc- 
cess in life to the inspiration and instruction which they 
received from Dr. Tefft. 

REV. THOMAS H. LYNCH, D. D. 

The name of Thomas H. Lynch, D. D., occupies a 
worthy place among educators in- the Church, he having 



INDIANA METHODISM. 291 

devoted several of the best years of his life to the work 
of teaching, and given his means and personal influence, 
through a series of years, to the development and sus- 
taining of our institutions of learning. Mr. Lynch is a 
native of Ohio. He was born in Waynesville, Warren 
County, Ohio, January 23, 1808. His parents emi- 
grated from South Carolina to Ohio in the year 1805. 
They left the South because of their inveterate hostility 
to the institution of slavery. His f^ither died when the 
subject of this notice was only six years of age. His 
mother was a woman of refined culture, and deeply 
pious. She gave to her children a Christian education ; 
all of whom made a profession of religion, and became 
Church members in early life. It was the wish of his 
mother, and also of his guardian, that Thomas should be 
educated with a view to the profession of law as the 
business of his life. At the age of fifteen years, in ad- 
dition to the usual elementary branches of education, he 
had accomplished the studies of algebra, trigonometry, 
and surveying. In March, 1825, he engaged to teach 
school for one year in the neighborhood of the Hon. 
Jeremiah Morrow, then Governor of Ohio. His compen- 
sation for teaching was at the rate of six dollars per 
scholar for the whole year. One-half of this sum was to 
be paid in cash, the rest in country produce. The most 
of his pay, however, was received in wheat, for which 
thirty-seven and a half cents a bushel was allowed. The 
wheat was sold to Governor Morrow for thirty-one and a 
fourth cents a bushel. Turning wheat into cash at this 
rate was thought, by the friends of the young school- 
teacher, to be a very fine financial operation. With the 
means thus raised, young Mr. Lynch started to col- 
lege. He entered the Miami University as a student in 
May, 1826. While a student at the University he was 



292 INDIANA METHODISM. 

employed by Dr. Bishop, the President, to teach a class 'of 
Indians, just from the wilds of Arkansas. In the mean 
time, yielding to the convictions that had followed him 
from early years, Mr. Lynch had united with the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, under the ministry of the late 
Rev. Arthur W. Elliott, then in the vigor of his man- 
hood, and in the power of his evangelical labors. This 
was on the 13th day of November, 1825. He remained 
in the University until September, 1827, when, having 
received an invitation from the trustees of Augusta Col- 
lege, Kentucky, through the Uev. Dr. Martin Ruter, 
its President, he entered that institution in the dual 
capacity of student and tutor. He pursued a full Col- 
legiate Course of four years, classical and scientific, and 
graduated August 4, 1831. He received for his services 
as tutor two hundred dollars per year — -a sum sufficient, 
at that time, to pay all his needed expenses. Augusta 
College was at this time the only successful Methodist 
College in the United States. Her students came from 
every section of the Union. Indiana sent many of her 
promising sons there to be educated, among whom was 
John W. Locke, now of the Indiana Asbury University. 
Among her graduates we may name Dr. Howard, Presi- 
dent of the Ohio University, and Dr. R. S. Foster, of the 
Drew Theological Seminary, and Dr. Dandy, of Chicago. 
At the time of which we now write, the Faculty of Au- 
gusta College consisted of Rev. Martin Ruter, D. D., 
President ; Rev. J. P. Durbin, Professor of Ancient Lan- 
guages ; Rev. J. S. Tomlinson, Professor of Mathematics; 
F. A. W. Davis, M. D., Professor of Chemistry and Nat- 
ural Science ; Rev. Arnold Trousdale, Principal of the 
Grammar School, and Thomas H. Lynch as Tutor. The 
College enjoyed great prosperity for many years. In 
the fierce contest between the North and the South upon 



INDIANA METHODISM. 293 

the subject of slavery, this noble institution fell a vic- 
tim between the fires of the adverse parties. The Legis- 
lature of Kentucky, in a fit of prejudice and passion, 
repealed its charter, and deprived it of its privileges. 
Thus this once prosperous and ardently cherished seat 
of learning lives only in history, and in the fond remem- 
brance of its friends, its patrons, and of its widely 
scattered alumni. 

After leaving college, Mr. Lynch studied law in the 
office of the late Hon. John Woods, of Hamilton, Ohio, a 
lawyer .of eminent ability and large practice, and for sev- 
eral 3^ears an active member of Congress from his dis- 
trict. Mr. Lynch was admitted to practice law by the 
Supreme Court of Ohio, in December, 1832, and was 
soon after commissioned by Governor Lucas as Attorney 
for the State, which office he held for two years. While 
engaged in his chosen profession, he sought to quiet his 
convictions of duty in regard to the ministry by preach- 
incr on Sabbath-davs. The effort was a vain one. He 
felt, "Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel of Christ!" 
Sickness came upon him ; death seemed to stand at his 
door. He covenanted with God to spare his life, and he 
would " preach the unsearchable riches of Christ." God 
heard his prayer, and brought him up as from the gates 
of death. He closed up his law business, and offered 
himself to the Ohio Conference. Just at this time, Mr. 
Lynch was unexpectedly elected again as a member of 
the Faculty of Augusta College, where he labored in 
teaching and preaching until September, 1842, when he 
became a member of the Kentucky Annual Conference 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was appointed to 
Transylvania University, in the Department of Ancient 
Languages. He held this position until 1846, when the 
Church South was fully organized. The University then 



294 ' INDIANA METHODISM. 

passed from the control of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church to that of the Church South. It finally fell, as 
did Augusta College, a victim to the ravages of the slav- 
ery question. Rev. H. B. Bascom, D. D., was its Pres- 
ident. He was the master-spirit of the Southern move- 
ment. He wrote in defense of slavery. He was chosen 
a bishop of the Church South. Here let the curtain 
drop ; a sad chapter follows ; let it not be written by 
human hands. 

Under the advice of Bishops Morris and Hamlin e, 
Mr. Lynch remained in the Kentucky Conference (South) 
until the Summer of 1849, when, through the kindness 
of brethren of the Indiana Conference, he was invited to 
alloAV his name to be submitted to that body for recogni- 
tion as a member among them. He had been opposed to 
the separation of the Southern Conference from the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and his position was well 
known. Mr. Lynch often speaks of the pleasure it af- 
fords him to make kind mention of those who manifested 
an interest in his behalf at this time. He received let- 
ters from Rev. E. R. Ames, Rev. F. C. Holliday, Rev. S. 
T. Gillett, Rev. J. C. Smith, and Rev. L. W. Berry, 
most cordially inviting him to come to Indiana. The in- 
vitation was accepted. At the session of 1849, held at 
Rising Sun, Mr. Lynch was recognized, by a unanimous 
vote, as a member of the Indiana Conference, and he was 
appointed by Bishop Janes to St. John's, Madison. In 
1850, he was elected President of the Indiana Female 
College which institution he conducted for several years, 
w^ith marked success. He has been an active member of 
the South-eastern Indiana Conference from its organiza- 
tion. He has served seven years as presiding elder, and 
ten years in the pastorate as station preacher; and at 
the time of this writing is enjoying a prosperous and 



INDIANA METHODISM. 295 

happj year as pastor of Grace Methodist Episcopal 
Church, Indianapolis. Nearly forty-six years ago, while 
but a youth, he united with the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. During ahiiost the whole of this time he has 
been employed in the public and active service of the 
Church, in some department of its varied interests. 

REV. JOHN WHEELER, D. D. 

Mr. Wheeler was one of the first graduates of Indi- 
ana Asbury University, having graduated in 1840. He 
was some time professor in the University, and was called 
from there to the Presidency of Baldwin University, at 
Berea, Ohio, and from there to the Presidency of the 
Iowa State University. Dr. Wheeler is an efficient 
teacher, and an able and prudent executive officer as a 
college president. 

rev. TLIOMAS a. GOODWIN, A. M. 

Mr. Goodwin graduated at Asbury University in 
1840. He entered the ministry in Indiana Conference, 
and Avas an efficient minister for several years ; but there 
being a great demand for teachers, Mr. Goodwin located, 
to take charge of an academy. He spent several years 
in teaching. Has been known extensively as the editor 
of the BrooJcville American and Indiana American. He 
has been a liberal contributor to the periodical literature 
of the Church, and is a model of industry and effective- 
ness as a local preacher. 

rev. PHILANDER WILEY, A. M. 

Mr. Wiley w^as a graduate of Indiana Asbury Uni- 
versity, of the class of 1843. He has been for some 
years Professor of Greek in the University, and has a 
high reputation for ripeness in scholarship, especially in. 



296 INDIANA METHODISM. 

the Greek language and literature, and of skill and thor- 
oughness in teaching. 

DR. BENSON. 

Rev. Henry C. Benson graduated with honor in Indi- 
ana Asbury University, in 1842 ; was received into In- 
diana Conference at the ensuing session, and appointed to 
Mooresville Circuit, where he labored about half the 
year. In the Spring of 1843, transferred to Arkansas, to 
serve the Indian missions then appended to that Confer- 
ence ; joined William H. Goode at Fort Coffee, as princi- 
pal teacher of the male department of the academy then 
just established among the Choctaws ; labored success- 
fully in that department, and also preached, as occasion 
would permit, among the Indians ; assisted in the forma- 
tion of the Indian Mission Conference, and acted as one 
of the secretaries at its first session; remained there 
until the Southern separation in 1845, when, with W. H. 
Goode, he transferred back to North Indiana Conference, 
and re-entered the pastoral work ; had established a rep- 
utation which led to tempting inducements to remain in 
the South, but declined, from an unwillingness to come 
under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Southern 
Church ; subsequently published an interesting volume, 
entitled, " Life among the Choctaw Indians." 

After passing several years of successful pastoral 
labor in some of the prominent stations of the Confer- 
ence, he was elected to the Chair of Greek Language 
and Literature in Asbury University, which he filled 
with acceptability for several successive years. 

About 1851, he was transferred to California Confer- 
ence, Avhere he labored in the pastorate, presiding elder- 
-ship, and other ministerial relations, till 1864, when he 
was elected to the editorship of ,the Pacific Christian 



INDIANA METHODISM. 297 

Advocate, and became a member of the Oregon Conference. 
In 1868, he was changed by election to the editorial 
chair of the California Christian Advocate, the duties of 
which he is now (1871) fulfilling at San Francisco. He 
is again a member of the California Conference, with a 
pleasant family residence at Santa Clara. He was a 
member of the General Conferences of 1864 and 1868 ; 
in the latter, was chairman of the Committee on Bound- 
aries. He received the degree of D. D. from his Alma 
Mater in 1864. His life-record thus far has known no 
failure. Faithful, competent, energetic, in every relation 
still vigorous and active, he gives promise of extended 
years of usefulness to the Church. 

REV. WILLIAM M. DAILY, D. D. 

While serving as stationed preacher in Bloomington^ 
Mr. Daily graduated in the College Course to the degree 
of A. B., in the Indiana State University, in 1836. In 
1839, Avhile stationed in St. Louis, Missouri, he received 
the degree of A. M. from three different colleges; to wit, 
Indiana University, Augusta College, Kentucky, and 
M'Kendree College, Illinois; and, in the Fall of 1849, 
was elected Professor of Elocution in St. Charles Col- 
lege, Missouri. He returned to Indiana, and resumed the 
work of the ministry in Madison, in 1840. 

While traveling Bloomington District as presiding 
elder, in 1851, he received the degree of Doctor of Di- 
vinity from his Alma Mater, his old preceptor, Rev. Phi- 
lander Wiley, D. D., of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 
being President. 

In 1853, he was elected President of Indiana Univer- 
sity, to succeed his old preceptor, who had died. Dr. 
Daily entered on his duties as President and Professor 
of Mental and Moral Science and Belles-Lettres, in the 



298 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Fall of 1853. During Dr. Daily's Presidency, the old 
University building burned down, and the present new 
and beautiful buildings were erected. The endowment 
fund was lost by an adverse decision in the courts, and 
through his influence the whole amount was refunded by 
the State, and the institution again placed on a substan- 
tial basis. 

In 1856, he received the degree of LL. D. from the 
.University of Louisville, conferred by the Law Depart- 
ment, which was presided over by the ablest and best 
law scholars in the country. During Dr. Daily's Presi- 
dency of Indiana University, the institution came up 
from eighty students to over four hundred ; and prior to 
his resignation he graduated the largest classes of any 
college in the state at that time. In 1859, he resigned 
the Presidency of the University, and retired to his 
home in Madison. At the breaking out of the Uebell- 
ion, he gave the whole of his influence to the support of 
the Government. At the close of the War he went 
South; and now (1871) is identified with the missionary 
work of the Church in that long-neglected land, and 
among a long-oppressed race. He is presiding elder in 
Louisiana Conference, with head-quarters at New Orleans. 

GEORGE W. HOSS, A. M. 

Professor Hoss . graduated at Indiana Asbury Uni- 
versity in 1850. His parents were comparatively poor, 
and he struggled hard to procure an education. He was 
a native of Ohio, but came to Indiana in 1836, and 
helped to open up a f^irm till the Fall of 1845, when he 
entered Asbury University as a student. Having to 
earn means for his own support, he was out of college 
two terms, and for three years he taught two hours each 
day in Mrs. Larrabee's Female Seminary, in addition to 



INDIANA METHODISM. 299 

keeping up his college studies. Immediately on his 
graduation he was elected Principal of the Muncie Acad- 
emy, at Muncie, in Delaware County, where he remained 
two years. In 1852, he was chosen Teacher of Mathe- 
matics in the Indiana Female College, in Indianapolis, 
under the Presidency of Rev. Thos. 11. Lynch. In 1853, 
he was chosen First Literary Teacher in the Institute 
for the BKnd, in Indianapolis. In 1855, he was elected 
President of Indiana Female College. He held this 
position one year, when he was elected Professor of 
Mathematics in the North-western Christian University, 
at Indianapolis. As the institution was under the con- 
trol of another religious denomination, his election was a 
compliment to his scholarship and his popularity as a 
teacher. He continued in that position until March, 
1865, when he resigned ; having heen, in the Fall of 
1864, elected Superintendent of Public Instruction for 
the State of Indiana. On tendering his resignation, the 
students expressed their friendship and their appreci- 
ation of his services by presenting him a silver tea- 
service worth seventy-five dollars. 

Mr. Hoss served with efficiency, and, in 1866, Avas 
re-elected. He was urged by many of the teachers and 
friends of education throughout the state to be a can- 
didate for a third term; but he had determined, and had 
so declared, that he would not allow his name to be used 
in connection with the office for a third term. During 
his superintendency, he procured the passage of an ex- 
tended bill of amendments to the School Law, among 
which was provision for establishing an excellent system 
of teachers' institutes, and providing for local taxation 
in towns and cities — versus a Supreme Court decision — 
thus supplementing the State revenue, and keeping the 
schools in the towns open ten months in the year. He 



300 INDIANA METHODISM. 

drafted the bill providing for the establishment of a 
State Normal School, and secured its passage through 
the Legislature Avith but slight modification. Mr. Hoss 
also secured the passage of a Fund Bill, requiring county 
auditors to examine all school-fund records in their 
office, and report to the Superintendent of Public In- 
struction — in Avhich reports he and they should settle. 
By this means he secured Avhat had never been at- 
tempted, a reliable fund basis for over $3,000,000, held 
by counties in settlement, and gained for the State 
$24,500, which, as per former reports, had been lost. 

In 1868, Professor Hoss Avas unanimously elected to 
the Chair of Ensrlish Literature and Practice of Teach- 

o 

ing in the State University; and, being urged by the 
Faculty and trustees of the University to enter imme- 
diately upon the duties of his professorship, he yielded 
to their persuasions, and resigned the Superintendency 
of Public Instruction, in October, 1869. His term of 
office Avould have expired on the 15th of the ensuing 
March. 

In 1862, Professor Hoss became the principal OAvner 
and publisher of the Indiana School Journal. When he 
took the School Journal it Avas embarrassed Avith debt, 
and had but three hundred and fifty subscribers. He 
soon ran up the subscription list to eighteen hundred. 

During 1862-63, Avhile Professor Hoss Avas teaching 
in the North-Avestern Christian University, he also acted 
as Superintendent of the City Schools in Indianapolis, 
giving his afternoons to the public schools, and teaching 
in the University in the forenoon. 

Professor Hoss held a large number of teachers' in- 
stitutes in different parts of the state. He has con- 
tributed largel}^, with his pen and tongue, to sound learn- 
ing and Christian morality. He is an earnest advocate 



INDIANA METHODISM. 301 

of total abstinence from intoxicating drinks, and has 
written an excellent tract on " Temperance in the Public 
Schools." Professor Hoss's record as an educator is 
one of which the State and the Church are alike proud. 
He is a remarkably industrious man, and is as ardently 
devoted to the interest of Sabbath-schools as to the cause 
of general education. 

BENJAMIN T. HOYT, A. M. 

Professor Hoyt was a native of New England. He 
graduated at the Wesleyan University at Middletown, 
Connecticut. After teaching for some time in the East, 
he came to Indiana in 1852, and for a few years had 
charge of an academy in Lawrenceburg, when he accepted 
the Presidency of the Indiana Female College in Indian- 
apolis, which position he resigned to accept a professor- 
ship in Indiana Asbury University, where he remained 
until the time of his death, in 1866. Professor Hoyt 
was a superior educator ; and whether in charge of a 
seminary, or in a professor's chair, he performed his du- 
ties thoroughly and efficiently. He was an active Sab- 
bath-school worker, and a valuable Christian citizen. 
His educational career was a useful one, and his death, in 
the vigor of his manhood, and in the midst of his labors, 
was a source of deep regret among the Christian educa- 
tors of the State. 

PROFESSOR JOSEPH TINGLEY, PH. D. 

Professor Tingley was born in Cadiz, Ohio, March 
3, 1822, and received the most of his education in Alle- 
ghany College, at Meadville, Pennsylvania ; but through 
the influence of Dr. Simpson, who was his cousin, and 
was then President of Asbury University, Mr. Tingley 
was induced to graduate at Asbury University, in 1846. 



302 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Two years after his graduation, Mr. Tingley was elected 
to the Chair of Natural Sciences, which he has filled un- 
til the present (1871). In 1860, he was elected Vice- 
President of the Faculty. In 1865, he received license 
to preach. Professor Tingley is an enthusiast in the de- 
partment of Natural Science. He is " apt to teach," and 
has a readiness of illustration, and a mechanical genius 
that fits him admirably for his chosen position. Pro- 
fessor Tingley deservedly ranks high among literary men 
in the department of Natural Science. Thoroughness is 
a marked characteristic of all that he does ; and, as a re- 
cognition of his attainments, the University in which he 
has been so long an efficient professor, conferred upon 
him, in 1871, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The 
many students that have recited to Professor Tingley, 
carry with them a grateful remembrance of his personal 
kindness, as well as of his professional ability. 

PROFESSOR S. A. LATTIMORE. 

Mr. Lattimore graduated at Asbury University m 
1850. He was elected Professor of Greek Language and 
Literature in Asbury University in 1852. In 1861, he 
was elected Professor of Natural Sciences in Genesee 
College, New York, where he serA^ed for several years, 
and is now (1871) Professor of Chemistry in Rochester 
University. Professor Lattimore is noted for thorough- 
ness and breadth of scholarship. He is a gentleman of 
cultivated manners and pleasant address. Quiet and un- 
ostentatious in his social bearing, he is recognized as an 
able professor and an influential promoter of true science. 
In the nine years he taught in Asbury University, he 
shared the confidence and esteem of the Faculty and the 
students, and gave promise of future eminence as a 
scholar and teacher. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 303 



REV. DANIEL CURRY, D. D. 

Dr. Curry was personally identified with educational 
interests in Indiana from 1854 to 1857, having accepted 
the Presidency of Indiana Asbury University in 1854, 
and continued in the discharge of its duties until 1857, 
when he resigned and returned to New York. 

Dr. Curry graduated at the Wesleyan University in 
MiddletoAvn, Connecticut, August, 1837. Immediately 
after his graduation, he took charge, as Principal, of the 
Troy Conference Academy, at West Poultney, Vermont, 
which position he filled until 1839, when he resigned, 
and accepted a professorship in the Georgia Female Col- 
lege, at Macon in that state, where he remained until 
1846, when he resigned and went North. In 1841, Dr. 
Curry entered the itinerant ministry, and has for many 
years ranked high as an able and instructive divine. Dr. 
Curry had associated with him as professors, while at 
Greencastle, Dr. Nadal and Dr. Bragdon, both of them 
eminent as scholars and divines. Perhaps no college in 
the hind had an abler Faculty than Indiana Asbury Uni- 
versity, while Dr. Curry was at its head ; but owing to a 
variety of causes, the administration of the college be- 
came involved and embarrassed, and Dr. Curry tendered 
his resignation. As a man of intellectual force. Dr. 
Curry has few superiors. He is an able and perspicuous 
writer. He tries to control men more by mere intellec- 
tion than is found practicable. The reason that is clear 
to his mind is not always equally clear to all other 
minds ; and men are Lirgely governed by other influences 
than mere reason. Dr. Curry is a man of a warm and 
generous heart, and whose friendship is prized by a host 
of admiring friends. Dr. Bragdon was a graduate of Wes- 
leyan University, and Dr. Nadal, of Dickinson College. 



304 INDIANA METHODISM. 



BENJAMIN F. RAWLINS, D. D., 

Was some time President of Asbury Female College. 
He was a graduate of Indiana Asbury University, of the 
class of 1849. Dr. Rawlins is more extensively known 
as an able preacher, the ministry being his chosen pro- 
fession. He is a frequent contributor to the periodical 
literature of the Church. 

ALBION FELLOWS, A. M., 

Graduated at Asbury University in 1854. He filled, 
for some time, the Chair of Languages in Fort Wayne 
Female College. 

JOHN p. ROUS, A. M., 

Graduated at Asbury University in 1855. He taught 
some time as Professor of Languages in Brookville Col- 
lege, as Principal of the Preparatory Department in In- 
diana Asbury University, and as Principal of Stockwell 
Academy. 

BENJAMIN W. SMITH, A. M., 

Also a graduate of Asbury University, of the class of 
1855, taught some time as Professor of Mathematics in 
Cornell College, and as President of Valparaiso Male and 
Female College. 

W. R. GOODWIN, A. M., 

Taught for some time as President of Brookville College, 
and Professor in Illinois Wesleyan University. He is 
more generally known throughout Indiana and Illinois as 
a popular and efficient preacher. He is also a frequent 
contributor to the Church papers. He graduated at 
Asbury University, in the class of 1856. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 305 



OLIVER H. SMITH, A. M., 

Graduated at Asbuiy in 1856, and spent several years 
in teaching, as Principal of Thorntown Academy, and 
President of Rockport Collegiate Institute. Mr. Smith 
is an able and efficient preacher. 

WILLIAM H. DE MOTTE, A. M., 

Taught for some time in the Indiana Institute for the 
Deaf and Dumb, and as President of Indiana Central 
Female College, and as President of Jacksonville Female 
College, Illinois. Mr. De Mo tie graduated at Indiana 
Asbury University in 1849. 

REV. THOMAS HARRISON, A. M., 

A NATIVE of England, was educated in an academy in 
Yorkshire, England, and has spent twenty years in 
teaching. He was for several years President of Moore's 
Hill College ; during which time he filled the Chair of 
Mental and Moral Philosophy and Natural Science. He 
is at present Professor in Brookville College. Previous 
to his coming to Indiana, he taught in the Ohio Confer- 
ence High School, Springfield, Ohio; and in the Linden 
Hill Academy, New Carlisle, Ohio. He received the 
honorary degree of A. M. from the Ohio University, at 
Athens. Professor Harrison is an able preacher, and an 
instructive lecturer on moral and scientific subjects. 

REV. J. p. D. JOHN, A. M., 

Is a native of Brookville, Indiana. Poor health brought 
his school-boy days to a close when he was but twelve 
years of age, with the exception of a few months ; yet 
such was his desire for learning, and such his strength 

20 



06 INDIANA METHODISM. 



of will, and his readiness to acquire knowledge, that he 
succeeded in obtaining a good education. He commenced 
teaching in his seventeenth year, and has continued ever 
since. He taught three years in the public schools of 
his native county, and eight years in Brookville College. 
During the first years of Professor John's connection 
with Brookville College, he was Professor of Math- 
ematics, and during the past two years he has been 
.President of the institution. Professor John received 
the honorary degree of Master of Arts from M'Kendree 
College, in Illinois, in 1867. And if his achievements 
hitherto are an earnest of his future, the Church has a 
good deal to expect from Professor John. 

REV. JOHN W. LOCKE, D. D. 

Dr. Locke was the son of Rev. George Locke, one 
of the early pioneers of Indiana Methodism. He was 
born in Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky, February 12, 
1822. He made a profession of religion and united with 
the Church in his twelfth year. After the death of his 
father, in 1834, he assisted his mother in school until 
the organization of the New Albany Seminary, in 1837. 
Dr. Locke's mother had been accustomed to teach school 
in her husband's life-time, and the chief support of the 
family came from her earnings during the four years he 
was presiding elder on Wabash District ; and, after the 
death of her husband, she had no other dependence. 
She met the responsibilities of her situation heroically, 
and literally raised her children in the school-room, and 
laid in their young minds the foundation of thorough 
mental discipline, and inspired them with the deter- 
mination to become scholars. 

Young Locke entered the New Albany Seminary 
in 1837, and prepared for college. Most of the time 



INDIANA METHODISM. 307 

during his stay in the Seminary he assisted his mother 
in her school — teaching when his class-mates studied, 
studying when they played, and reciting when they 
recited. This overwork in his youth materially im- 
paired his health during a number of the years of his 
early manhood. 

In the Spring of 1839, he entered the Freshman 
Class in Augusta College, and graduated in 1842. 
He taught school in Portsmouth, Ohio, until the Fall 
of 1843. On the 15th of July, 1843, just nine years 
after the death of his father, he was licensed to preach, 
and recommended for admission into the Annual Con- 
ference. In the Fall of 1843, he was admitted into the 
Ohio Annual Conference. He was ordained a deacon by 
Bishop Hamline in 1845, and an elder by Bishop Janes 
in 1847. In 1850, he transferred to Indiana Confer- 
ence, and was stationed inYevay for two years; and then 
stationed in Rising Sun one year, when he was elected 
President of Brookville College in 1853, and remained 
in thatposition four years. In 1856, he was appointed 
presiding elder of Connersville District, which position 
he filled four years. In the Fall of 1860, he was elected 
Professor of Mathematics in Indiana Asbury University, 
wdiich position he yet holds, and the duties of which he 
performs with marked ability. 

Dr. Locke was a member of the General Conference 
of 1860, and also of 1868. He received the degree of 
Doctor of Divinity from Dickinson College in 1868. Dr. 
Locke was elected President of Baker University, in 
Kansas ; but the climate not agreeing with him, he re- 
turned to Indiana after an absence of a few months, 
retaining his position as Professor of Mathematics in In- 
diana Asbury University. Dr. Locke is an able and 
popular preacher, and enjoys the pastoral work; but, 



308 INDIANA METHODISM. 

yielding to what he deems an imperative call of duty, 
he continues in the work of education. 

JOHN M. OLCOTT, A. M. 

Professor Olcott graduated at Indiana Asbury Uni- 
versity in the class of 1860. He taught four years as 
Principal of the High School in Lawrenceburg, some 
two years in Columbus, and was Superintendent of the 
Public Schools in Terre Haute for six years. He is 
ardently devoted to the cause of education, and is a con- 
tributor to the literary journals of the country. He is 
an advocate of the broadest and most thorough culture. 
He lacked but a few votes, in 1866, of being nominated 
on the Eepublican State ticket for Superintendent of 
Public Instruction for the State— a fact highly compli- 
mentary for one of his age. 

REV. J. H. MARTIN, A. M. 

Rev. J. H. Martin is the present efficient President 
of Moore's Hill College. He received his education at 
Wood Yale Academy, Pennsylvania, and at the Ohio 
Wesleyan University. He entered upon the work of 
teaching in 1856, and has devoted fifteen years labori- 
ously and successfully to that work. The first three 
years of his teaching life were spent in Middletown, 
Pennsylvania. In 1859, he came to Franklin, Indiana, 
and soon thereafter took charge of the Superintendency 
of the Union Schools of that city. In 1864, he ac- 
cepted the Superintendency of the Public Schools in 
Edinburg, which position he filled for some two years, 
when he resigned to accept the Presidency of Brookville 
College, which position he resigned in 1869, and returned 
to Edinburg again to accept the Superintendency of the 
Public Schools of that place. His' return to Edinburg 



INDIANA METHODISM. 309 

was induced mainly by domestic affliction. In 1870, he 
was elected President of Moore's Ilill College. While 
in Franklin and Edinburg, Professor Martin held the 
position of School Examiner for Johnson County. Pro- 
fessor Martin is ardently attached to the profession 
of teaching, and brings to the discharge of his duties a 
zeal, an ability and enthusiasm, that make him eminently 
successful. 

REV. SAMUEL R. ADAMS, A. M. 

Professor Adams was a graduate of the Wesleyan 
University, at Middletown, Connecticut. He chose the 
profession of teaching as his life-work. He came to 
Indiana in 1854, and had charge of an Academy at Wil- 
mington for some time. On the opening of Moore's Hill 
College, in 1856, he was elected President of that insti- 
tution, which position he retained until his death. When 
the Government called for troops to suppress the Re- 
bellion, most of the students of sufficient age in the 
College under his care volunteered ; and, actuated by 
patriotism toward his country, and by an affectionate re- 
gard for the young men under his care, President Adams 
also volunteered as a Union soldier, and accepted a com- 
mission as chaplain, which position he filled with such 
efficiency and zeal as prostrated him with sickness, and 
ended his life before the termination of the War. He 
met death at the post of duty, although that post was 
far from home and friends. 

MILES J. FLETCHER, A, M. 

Miles J. Fletcher was born in Indianapolis, in 1828, 
and was a son of Calvin Fletcher, Esq., who, although 
he had emigrated into the wilderness at an early day, 
had gained for himself a good general and classical 



310 « INDIANA METHODISM. 

education, and also brought with him from New England 
that love of educational advancement which is so char- 
acteristic of the sons of the Land of Steady Habits ; so 
that, although young Fletcher's school privileges were 
limited to a few Winter months in the year, yet, with 
his other brothers, he had constantly the advantages of 
home instruction, which was of more value in building 
the noble characteristics of his nature than any training 
be could have received in academic halls. 

In 1847, he entered Brown University, at Provi- 
dence, Rhode Island ; at which institution he graduated 
with honor in 1852, having interluded his years of 
student-life by a year of home-work. He was prom- 
inent in his class for his general knowledge. He cared 
but little for mathematics, although he acknowledged its 
importance, and he was never deep in love wdth the 
classics ; but in historical information and logic, he stood 
head and shoulders above his fellows. 

In the Spring of 1848, while spending a vacation in 
the village of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, influenced by a 
letter from a brother, he became a sincere and earnest 
inquirer for the path of life ; and He who has said, 
"Seek and ye shall find," soon opened the "wicket- 
gate " to one who knocked and asked with his whole 
soul. Without a moment's delay, he identified himself 
with religion. He united with the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, the one in which he was trained from child- 
hood ; he took an active, yet modest, part in the college 
and class prayer-meetings, and, with new light and zeal, 
taught a class that had long been under his charge in 
Sabbath-school. In this connection it may be proper to 
give Professor Fletcher's testimony in regard to the aid 
given to a seeker of religion by previous Sabbath-school 
instruction. About the time of his conversion, a spirit 



INDIANA METHODISM. 311 

of religious inquiry came upon many of the students in 
Brown University. Some, reared under the cold, ration- 
alistic, semi-infidel influences that characterize certain 
portions of New England, were incarcerated, at their 
first awakening, in Doubting Castle, and only after long 
and severe struggling were enabled to break away. 
But Professor Fletcher remarked that all whose minds 
had been prepared by early Sabbath-school teachings, 
escaped all the gloom of doubt, and the temptations to 
skepticism. 

Before his graduation he had determined on the 
career of a teacher. To him the preparation of the mind 
and heart for the world's broad field of battle was a high 
and holy calling. Immediately upon his graduation, he 
entered upon his duties as Professor of English Liter- 
ature in Indiana Asbury University, at Greencastle. 
With characteristic zeal and energy he labored in his 
department. He had the faculty of rendering his 
branches entertaining to the students. He was the 
friend of his pupils — not holding them off by any false 
notions of professional dignity, but wooing them to com- 
panionship by the kindness of his manners. He visited 
them in sickness, closed their eyes in death, gave 
encouragement h) them in their despondency, and em- 
ployment to ameliorate their poverty. His life as a pro- 
fessor was intermitted by a year given to the assistance 
of his father, and a year spent at Cambridge Law School. 
The truth is, he was so efficient with his hands, head, 
and heart, that there was a constant temptation on the 
part of his friends to tax his time and strength. 

In the Fall of 1860, he was elected Superintendent 
of Public Instruction for the State of Indiana. In this 
capacity his labors were incredible. He brought honest 
industry and system to bear so efficaciously that at the 



312 INDIANA METHODISM. 

time of his melancholy death, the machinery of his office 
^vas in fine working order. All this was accomphshed 
notwithstanding the heavy drain upon his time incident 
to the Rebellion. When the firing upon Sumter aroused 
the nation, he assisted, at the request of the Governor, 
in the drilling of raw recruits for the three months' 
service at Camp Morton. Immediately thereafter, by 
appointment, he visited the armories of New England, 
and purchased the first arms for our State. In August, 
1861, he made an arduous and dangerous journey to 
Western Virginia, in search of his brother, Dr. William 
B. Fletcher, who was captured in July by the rebels — 
to whose pen we are indebted for the facts of this sketch. 
He visited Washington on the same fraternal mission. 
When the whereabouts of his brother was ascertained 
he spent many weeks in ameliorating his condition, and 
achieving his release, by exchange, from the loathsome 
warehouse prison at Richmond. 

At home again, he resumed his system of county 
visitation and lecturing on education, until once more in- 
terrupted to hasten with the first boat that reached 
Pittsburg Landing after the bloody battle of Shiloh, to 
carry relief to the sick and wounded. Here he labored 
with such assiduity that he brought on an infirmity that 
would have gone with him through a long life. Pro- 
fessor Fletcher was killed on the 10th of May, 1862. 
He had left Indianapolis on the ten o'clock night-train 
for Terre Haute, in company with Governor Morton, Dr. 
Bobbs, Adjutant-General Noble, and several other citi- 
zens, on an expedition to our army at Corinth, to bring 
home such of our sick and wounded as Avere there able 
to travel, and provide hospital stores and accommo- 
dations for the others. At Terre Haute they took the 
connecting train for Evansville, which reached Sullivan, 



INDIANA- METHODISM. 313 

the scene of the catastrophe, about one o'clock. As the 
train was approaching that station it ran into a freight- 
car, Avhich had been left either on the track or on a 
switch so close to the track that the passenger-cars 
jostled against it, or it had been run on the track after 
the retirement of the switchmen at that station. The 
noise and jar of the collision made Professor Fletcher 
put his head out of the window to see what the matter 
was, and something — probably the freight-car on the 
switch which the train was passing — struck him on the 
side of the head, crushing his skull, and killing him in- 
stantly. The loss of such a man at such a time, and in 
such a manner, produced a profound sensation. 

Professor Fletcher had elements of popularity 
equaled by few. He was big-hearted and brave. He 
was tender and considerate to the poor and downtrodden 
He was frank and outspoken, and no one felt or feared 
that there was any dissimulation or concealment about 
him. He was the soul of honor, and the type of gener- 
osity, and, w^ithal, had an inexhaustible flow of spirits, 
that gave a fascination and charm to his society, and 
made him popular, without an effort to be so. He was a 
prodigy of work ; and he did his work so thoroughly and 
so well that his friends were always taxing him with ex- 
tra labor. He was no politician ; and perhaps no other 
office in the gift of the State w^ould have seduced him 
from his professorship ; but he felt that, in the capacity 
of Sup*erintendent of Public Instruction, he could accom- 
plish for the cause of education in the state at large, 
more than he 'could in any other position. 

REV. L. W. BERRY, D. D. 

Dr. Berry was elected President of Indiana Asbury 
ITniversity in 1849, as the successor of Dr. Simpson. 



314 INDIANA METHODISM. 

He entered upon the duties of his office in the Fall of 
the same year, which position he held for five years, 
when he resigned, and re-entered the active work of the 
ministry. In 1855, he was elected President of Iowa 
Wesleyan University, where he labored with efficiency. 
A number of leading Methodists, determining to found a 
university at Jefferson City, Missouri, and looking around 
for a suitable man to put at the head of their enterprise, 
selected Dr. Berry, who, upon the advice of his friends, 
accepted the position of President and financial agent. 
He had barely entered upon his work, when he was pros- 
trated by a severe attack of sickness, that terminated his 
life in July, 1858. His disease was asthma, combined 
with erysipelas, which produced paralysis of the throat, 
tongue, and lips, depriving him almost wholly of the 
power of speech, and of the ability to swallow either 
nourishment or medicine. Dr. Berry received the hon- 
orary degree of D. D. while President of Indiana 
Asbury University. 

While Dr. Berry's career as an educator was credit- 
able, his reputation rests chiefly on his ability and effi- 
ciency as a preacher. Dr. Berry entered the Ohio Con- 
ference on trial in 1834, and traveled a part of the year 
as junior preacher on Oxford Circuit. At the end of 
the year he discontinued, and entered Oxford University 
as a student; and although he did not complete the Col- 
lege Course, he laid the foundation for a good education, 
and he retained the habit of close and systematic study 
all through his life. 

He was admitted on trial in the Indiana Conference, 
in the Fall of 1838, and continued in the itinerancy till 
the close of life. His sermons Avere prepared with labor, 
and delivered with earnestness, and often with marked 
success. 




'^yS££raUi.s,^.sffzrM^ ^'- 



^ 




.y^,^^-^ , J^r 



INDIANA METHODISM. 315 



REV. THOMAS BOWMAN, D. D. 



Dr. Bowman, the present popular President of Indi- 
ana Asbury University, was educated at Dickinson Col- 
lege, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He entered the ministry in 
early life, and soon took high rank as a preacher. But 
his literary attainments and aptness to teach pointed him 
out as a successful educator, and the Church called him 
to the work of literary instruction. He came to Indiana 
in 1858, as the successor of Dr. Curry in the Presidency 
of Indiana Asbury University, which position he has 
filled with uniform acceptability and marked efficiency. 
His administrative ability is of a high order. He makes 
no display of authority, and secures obedience to disci- 
phne without seeming to demand it. As a preacher, his 
style is perspicuous and entertaining ; his matter instruct- 
ive and evangelical. He addresses alike the head and 
heart, and few preachers are equally popular with all 
classes of hearers. Perhaps no man in the Church is 
called upon oftener, or called farther, to dedicate 
churches than Dr. Bowman ; and on such occasions he is 
proverbially successful in raising money, having opened 
the hearts of his hearers until he has free access to their 
pockets. 

REV. ERASTUS ROWLEY, D. D. 

Dr. Rowley, who has for some years been President 
of De Pauw Female College at New Albany, is a gentle- 
man of ripe scholarship and rare executive ability, and 
has rendered the cause of Christian education substantial 
service. 

REV. D. HOLMES, 

Of North-west Indiana Conference, gave several years to 
the work of education. He is both a ripe scholar and an 



o 



16 INDIANA METHODISM. 



able diAdne. He is more solid than showy, more pro- 
found than pretentious. 



REV. G. W. RICE 



Has for some years had charge of the academy at Battle 
Ground, and is a successful educator. 

REV. A. GURNEY 

Was for some years President of Valparaiso Male and 
Female College. The institution is now under the 
charge of Rev. R. D. Utter. 

Indiana Methodism has given to the public a large 
corps of Avell educated and efficient teachers. The 
Church erred in multiplying denominational schools to so 
large an extent, but that evil is being corrected, and the 
Church is more Avisely concentrating her efforts upon the 
endoAvment and liberal patronage of a few of her more 
central and prominent institutions. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 317 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Methodist Educational Institutions — Early Funds controlled by Presby- 
terians — Effort to amend the Charter of the " State University " — 
The Legislature memorialized — "Indiana Asbury University" 
founded — First Meeting of the Board of Trustees — First Commence- 
ment — " New Albany Seminary " — " De Pauvv College " — " Fort 
Wayne College" — "Whitewater College" — "Brookville College" — 
"Moore's Hill College" — Educational Record of Indiana — Names 
of Institutions — Number of Teachers — Scholars — Value of School 
Property. 

Educational. 

THE State funds for educational purposes in Indiana, 
as in most of the Western States, were for many 
years under the almost exclusive control of Presbyteri- 
ans, who assumed to be the especial guardians and pat- 
rons of education. It is impossible, at this day, to com- 
prehend the self-complacency with which their leading 
men in the West assumed to be the only competent edu- 
cators of the people, and the quiet unscrupulousness 
Avith which they seized upon the trust-funds of the 
States for school purposes, and made those schools as 
strictly denominational as though the funds had been ex- 
clusively contributed by members of their own commun- 
ion. A young man who, in either the Miami University 
at Oxford, Ohio, or Lexington, Kentucky, or Blooming- 
ton, Indiana, would have questioned the correctness of 
any of the dogmas of Calvinism, would have been an ob- 
ject of unmitigated ridicule and persecution. Such Avas 
the spirit of exclusiveness with Avhich State colleges Avere 
managed, in the early settlement of the Western coun- 



318 INDIANA METHODISM. 

try, that for many years but few students, except those 
from Calvinistic families, were found in the State colleges. 
This tended to throw other denominations upon their own 
resources, and induced them not only to build up denom- 
inational schools, but caused them, in due course of time, 
to assert their rights in the management of the State in- 
stitutions ; and the result has been that, in those states 
as Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, w^here 
Presbyterian greed has been most conspicuous, they now 
occupy, in educational matters, a subordinate position. 
When, in 1834 and 1835, efforts were made in Indiana 
so to change the management of the State University, 
by amending its charter, that the trustees should be 
elected by the State Legislature, instead of being a self- 
perpetuating corporation, a storm of indignation was 
raised among those who controlled the State University; 
and it was made the occasion of heaping all sorts of op- 
probium on the head of the Methodist Church. The 
movement ^vas said to be an effort on the part of the 
Methodists to get a Methodist professor in the State 
University ; and it was tauntingly said, in the halls of 
the Legislature, that " there was not a Methodist in 
America with sufficient learning to fill a professor's chair, 
if it were tendered to him." Such taunts proved a 
wholesome stimulus to Methodist enterprise and inde- 
pendent Church action in the department of education, 
and the result is seen, in part, in the investment of more 
than half a million of dollars in property for school pur- 
poses ; in the employment of more than fifty teachers in 
Methodist schools in Indiana; in the endowment of de- 
nominational colleges second to none ; and in the chief 
control of the State University, from which we had been 
so long and persistently excluded. And all this accom- 
plished, not by the seizure and appropriation of public 



INDIANA METHODISM. 319 

funds, but by the willing contributions of our people, 
and by the moral force of the numbers and intelligence 
of our communicants. 

At the first session of the Indiana Conference, held in 
New Alban}^, October, 1832, a committee, consisting of 
Hevs. Allen Wiley, C. W. Ruter, and James Armstrong, 
was appointed to consider and report on the propriety of 
establishing a literary institution, under the patronage of 
the Conference. The committee reported, but no action 
was had, beyond providing for the collection of informa- 
tion, to be reported to the next Conference. 

While the Conference felt that, on many accounts, it 
would be desirable to have an institution of learning un- 
der its own control, yet it Avas thought if we could get 
any thing like an equitable share of privileges in the 
State University at Bloomington, that that would meet 
the wants of our people for several years ; and accord- 
ingly, at the Conference of 1834, it was resolved to 
memorialize the Legislature on that subject. A memo- 
rial from the Conference, and similar memorials from dif- 
ferent parts of the state, numerously signed, were sent 
up to the Legislature. The memorialists did not ask that 
the University be put, either in w^hole or in part, under 
the control of the Church ; they simply asked that the 
trustees of the University should be elected for a def- 
inite term of years, and the vacancies, as they occurred, 
should be filled by the Legislature, and not by the re- 
maining members of the Board of Trustees. 

The memorials Avere referred to an able committee of 
the Legislature, but from some cause the committee never 
reported. It was easier to strangle the report in the 
committee, than to justify a refusal of the reforms asked 
by the memorialists. Failing in their efforts to secure a 
reform in the manner of controlling the State University, 



320 INDIANA METHODISM. 

the members of the Conference turned their thoughts 
earnestly toward the founding of a literary institution of 
high gradOj under the control of the Church. At the 
session of the Conference of 1835, a plan was agreed 
upon for founding a university. 

Subscriptions were taken up and proposals made from 
different parts of the state, with a view of securing the 
location of the university. Eockville, Putnamville, 
Greencastle, Lafayette, Madison, and Indianapolis were 
the principal competitors. Rockville presented a sub- 
scription of $20,000 ; Putnamville, about the same 
amount; Indianapolis and Madison, $10,000 each; and 
Greencastle, the sum of $25,000; and at the session of 
the Conference in Indianapolis, in 1836, the university 
was located at Greencastle. At the next session of the 
Legislature the institution secured a liberal charter, un- 
der the name of 

INDIANA ASBURY UNIVERSITY. 

The first meeting of the Board of Trustees was held 
in 1837, when it was resolved to open the Preparatory 
Department, which in due time was done under the 
principalship of Rev. Cyrus Nutt, a graduate of Alle- 
ghany College. Uev. M. Simpson was elected President 
of the University in 1839 ; and the first regular Com- 
mencement was held in 1840, when President Simpson 
was duly inaugurated ; the charge being delivered b}^ 
Governor Wallace. 

NEW ALBANY SEMINARY. 

This institution came under the care of Indiana Con- 
ference in 1837. In May, 1837, William H. Goode, 
who was traveling Lexington Circuit, was elected Prin- 
cipal of New Albany Seminary, and, by the approval of 



INDIANA METHODISM. 321 

his presiding elder, Rev. C. W. Ruter, who supplied his 
place on the circuit, entered immedicately upon his duties 
as the successor of Philander Ruter, A. M. And at the 
ensuing session of the Conference, which was held in 
New Albany in the Fall of the same year, Mr. Goode 
was appointed in charge of the Seminary. Preferring 
the pastoral work, he resigned before the next session of 
the Conference, and was succeeded by George H. Harri- 
son, A. M., who continued in charge of the Seminary 
for several years ; and, although the Seminary was dis- 
continued as a Conference institution, and ceased, it, 
nevertheless, accomplished great good in its day, and 
showed that the Methodist Church was then, as now, 
the real friend of Christian education. 

That errors were committed in the early management 
of our denominational schools, is now apparent. The 
efforts of the Church Avere too much divided, and the 
schools did not rest on a sufficiently solid pecuniary 
basis. New Albany Seminary is worthily succeeded by 

DE PAUW COLLEGE FOR YOUNG LADIES, 

In the same city. The College is a credit to the city, 
and an honor to its noble founder and patron, whose 
name it bears. Other seminaries and colleges, local in 
their influence, but useful in their day, sprang up in dif- 
ferent parts of the Conference, and flourished for a while; 
but as the system of public schools improved, and graded 
schools were established, the demand for Church sem- 
inaries was less, and the Church is wisely concentrating 
on a few of her more central and important institutions. 

WHITEWATER COLLEGE, 

At Centerville, with a branch at Richmond, flourished 
for some years, and had the efficient labors of Cyrus 

21 



322 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Nutt, D. D., and of Wm. H. Barnes, A. M., and other 
efficient educators ; but was finally discontinued as a 
Church school. 

Similar schools sprang up in each of the coiiferences, 
and, after flourishing for a season, were discontinued ; 
and, although their discontinuance was a source of morti- 
fication to their immediate friends, perhaps they each 
accomplished more good than they cost ; and, while they 
expired, their fruit remained. 

Fort Wayne College was founded in 1846; Brook- 
ville College in 1851, and Moore's Hill College in 1853. 

The educational record for Indiana (1870) stands as 
follows : 

Indiana Asbury University : Professors, 7; students, 
344 ; value of property, $101,000 ; active endowment, 
$105,000 ; total value of property, $206,000. 

INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

Be Pauw College for Young Ladies : Teachers, 9 ; 
scholars, 137; value of property, $50,000. Rockport 
Collegiate Institute : Teachers, 4 ; students, 98 ; value 
of property, $30,000. 

NORTH INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

Fort Wayne College : Teachers, 10; students, 250; 
value of property, $50,000. 

SO^TH-EASTERN INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

Brookville College: Teachers, 6; students, 150; 
value of property, $27,000. Moore's Hill College: 
Teachers, 9 ; students, 365 ; value of property and 
endowment, $53,520. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 323 



NORTH-WEST INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

Stockwell Collegiate Institute: Teachers, 7; stu- 
dents, 150; value of property, $40,000. Valparaiso 
College : Value of property, $30,000. Battle-ground 
Institute : Value of propertj^, $10,000. Danville Acad- 
emy: Value of property, $20,000. Dayton, Academy : 
Teachers, 2 ; students, 100 ; value of property, $5,000. 

There are sixty professors and teachers employed in 
colleges and academies in Indiana under the care of the 
Church, and nearly two thousand students receiving 
collegiate and academic training in these institutions. 

VALUE OF SCHOOL PROPERTY. 

Indiana Asbury University $206,000 

Fort Wayne College 50,000 

Brookville College 27,000 

Moore's Hill College 58,520 

De Pauw College for Young Ladies 50,000 

Stockwell Collegiate Institute 40,000 

Dayton Academy 5,000 

Rockport Collegiate Institute 30,000 

Valparaiso College 30,000 

Battle-ground Institute 10,000 

Indiana Central Female College 11,000 

Danville Academy '. 20,000 

Total $532,520 

The above exhibit is incomplete, owing to the im- 
possibility of obtaining full information; but it serves 
to show that Methodists are doing a reasonable share 
toward the education of the youth of the State. Many 
of the most efficient teachers in our graded schools, and 
a number of the superintendents of the schools in our 
cities, are graduates of Methodist colleges. 



324 INDIANA METHODISM. 



CHAPTER XYII. 

Indiana Bishops — R, R. Roberts— Licensed to Preach, and admitted 
into the Conference — Circuits and Stations filled — Elected to the 
Episcopacy — Removes to Indiana — His Personal Appearance — Ex- 
tract from "The Fallen Heroes of Indiana Methodism," by Hon. R. 
W. Thompson — Funeral Services at Greencastle — Erection of a 
Monument — Matthew Simpson — Enters the Ministry — Elected 
President of "Indiana Asbury University" — Elected Editor of the 
Wester?t Christian Advocate — Elected Bishop — His Services in the 
Cause of Education — He visits Europe — His Services during the 
War — E. R. Ames — His Ancestors — His Early Life — Opens a High- 
school at Lebanon — Elected " Corresponding Secretary of the Mis- 
sionary Society " — Elected President of " Indiana Asbury Univer- 
sity " — Elected Bishop — His Personal Appearance — His Manner of 
Preaching. 

Indiana Bishops. 

bishop roberts. 

ROBERT RICHFORD ROBERTS, although not a na- 
tive of Indiana, and never a member of an Indiana 
Conference, is, nevertheless, claimed as an Indiana 
bishop, because he was a citizen of Indiana during nearly 
the whole term of his episcopate. His mortal remains 
rest in Indiana, and his worldly substance was all de- 
voted to the support of Christian education in Indiana. 
Bishop Roberts was a native of Frederick, Maryland. 
He Avas born August 2, 1778. He was converted in the 
fourteenth year of his age, and licensed to preach, and 
admitted on trial in the Baltimore Annual Conference, in 
the Spring of 1802. He traveled consecutively Car- 
lisle, Montgomery, Frederick, Pittsburg, and Wheeling 



INDIANA METHODISM. 325 

Circuits. While in charge of the latter circuit, in 1808; 
he attended the session of the General Conference in 
Baltimore, and took part in its deliberations, participat- 
ing in the famous debates on the question of making the 
presiding eldership elective. At the close of the Gen- 
eral Conference, Bishop Asbury stationed him in the city 
of Baltimore. In 1809, he was reappointed to Balti- 
more. In 1810, he was stationed at Fell's Point, and in 
1811, at Alexandria. In 1812, he was stationed at 
Georgetown, District of Columbia, and during this year 
he made the acquaintance of President Madison and his 
estimable lady, by whom he was highly esteemed. He 
was accustomed to visit them, and was received with the 
freedom and cordiality of private friendship. In 1813 
and 1814, he Avas stationed in Philadelphia. In 1815, 
he was presiding elder on Schuylkill District, which in- 
cluded the city of Philadelphia. In 1816, he was elected 
to the episcopacy. The following fact, doubtless, contrib- 
uted to the election of Mr. Roberts : There being no 
bishop present at the session of the Philadelphia Confer- 
ence, which was held just previous to that of the Gen- 
eral Conference, Mr. Roberts, according to the provisions 
of the Discipline, was elected to preside, although the 
youngest presiding elder in the Conference. During the 
session of the Conference many of the delegates to the 
General Conference, from New England and New York, 
who were on their way to Baltimore, stopped to look in 
upon the Philadelphia Conference; and beholding the 
dignity, ease, and propriety with which he presided, were 
convinced that he Avas a suitable man for the episcopacy. 
His elevation to the episcopacy was unlooked for as well 
as unsolicited by him. In December, 1819, Bishop Rob- 
erts removed from Shenango, his old home in Pennsyl- 
vania, where he resided a short time after his election to 



326 INDIANA METHODISM. 

the episcopacyj to Lawrence County, Indiana. This was 
in the third year of his episcopacy. The mildness of 
the climate, the fertility of the soil, and cheapness in 
living, <Mppear to have been the motives by which he was 
actuated in coming to Indiana. Although his circuit was 
the continent, and his exposures and perils great, he was 
permitted to die at home, which solemn event occurred 
on the 26th of March, 1843. 

Bishop Roberts was a man of fine physical appear- 
ance. He would attract attention in any company. He 
sat, stood, and moved with great dignity, in private and 
public, without any apparent effort, or any stiffness of 
manner. He was five feet ten inches in height, with a 
heavy, robust frame, tending, in later years, to corpulency. 
God had called him to a work which demanded great phys- 
ical as well as mental and moral force, and he endowed 
him for his vocation. His manner was always easy, and 
is, perhaps, as well expressed by the terms simplicity and 
naturalness, as by any others. His piety was deep, ar- 
dent, and uniform. He loved the social means of grace, 
as the class and prayer meetings, where he seemed to 
forget all official position, and appeared in the simple light 
of true Christian character. His piety was cheerful and 
active. The field of his labor was a continent, and, like 
Paul, he pressed to regions beyond, that he might preach 
the Gospel where Christ had not been named, that he 
might not build on another man's foundation. As a 
preacher, his manner was earnest rather than impas- 
sioned. His thoughts came readily, and were always 
clothed in appropriate language. He was a natural ora- 
tor. His voice was full, and its tones rich and melodious. 
He commenced with a pitch of voice that all could hear, 
and his delivery was quite uniform. It was a full cur- 
rent from the beginning, and flowed on evenly to the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 327 

end ; and one felt that, impressive as his effort was, there 
was with him a hirge amount of reserved power. His 
sermons were practical and experimental. His thoughts 
were in sympathy with real life, and, hence, there w^as a 
freshness about his sermons that was always refreshing. 

In his address on " The Fallen Heroes of Indiana 
Methodism," delivered before the " Indiana State Meth- 
odist Convention" in Indianapolis, in October, 1870, 
Hon. H. W. Thompson said of Bishop Roberts : 

"I knew Bishop Roberts well — most intimately, con- 
sidering the disparity in our ages. I had many oppor- 
tunities of studying his character as it was developed in 
his intercourse with the Avorld ; and, all things con- 
sidered, I do not hesitate to say, that for all the highest 
excellencies, for a profound knowledge of mankind, and 
the motives and springs of human conduct ; for a deep, 
true courage; for pure Christian charity; for all, indeed, 
that goes to raise man up to the true standard of no- 
bility, he may be entitled to stand in the foremost rank 
among all the men I have ever known. In the domestic 
circle he was as playful, simple, and ingenuous as a little 
child, fond of anecdotes, and somewhat skilled in telling 
them. Those of you who knew him well, remember that 
sly humor that twinkled in his face, and lit it up with 
animation and life, w^hen he was recounting some rich 
and racy scenes he had observed in frontier life. In 
recounting these he seemed to be a boy again. But 
even in his playful moods he was ' every inch a man,' 
such a one as we may not soon ^look upon his like 
again.' " 

Nobody could look at the benignant expression on 
Bishop Roberts's face without seeing that he was full 
of kindness and benevolence ; gentleness beamed from 
every feature. I once witnessed an exhibition of these 



328 INDIANA METHODISM. 

characteristics that made so strong and lasting an im- 
pression on my mind that I can not now omit it. 

There resided in Lawrenceport — to which place the 
bishop had remoA^ed — a gentleman Avho had once been a 
Methodist preacher, and Avas still a member of the 
Church, but actively engaged in business. For some 
cause, which I have forgotten, he was induced to speak 
in unkind and rather harsh terms of the bishop, being 
a- hasty and impetuous man. The bishop heard of it ; 
and one night, Avhen I was at this gentleman's house, he 
surprised him by suddenly stepping in. After a kind 
salutation, and a brief conversation upon ordinary topics, 
during which my friend was greatly embarrassed, the 
venerable old man turned directly to him and said : 
" Brother , I am told that you have spoken un- 
kindly of me, and have called over to say to you what 
I thought I could best say in the presence of another, 
which is that I do not feel offended, but mortified, not 
on my own account, but yours. I am old enough to be 
your father, and on that account you ought not to speak 
harshly of me. But more especially ought you not to 
do so wdien you consider that I have given you no occa- 
sion for it. I never did you an injury, or wished you 
any harm ; on the contrary, I have always treated you 
with kindness. But I am too old to quarrel, and in- 
capable, I trust, of resentment. I have, therefore, called 
without an imitation, not to speak unkindly to you in 
return, but to say that I willingly forgive you, and will 
pray that God will also do so ; having only one request 
to make, which is that you will not say hard things 
about me any more, as you ought not to say them about 
any body." Instantly observing how completely his ad- 
versary was discomfited by this Christian, paternal lec- 
ture, and as if to relieve him from his humiliation, he 



INDIANA METHODISM. 329 

said, "Now, brother, we will pray together;" and he put 
up such a prayer to the Throne of Grace — so gentle and 
kind and spiritual — that my friend expressed his sorrow 
in copious tears. On rising from his knees, the bishop 
bade us good-night, and retired without another word of 
reference to the difficulty. That was the end of it. 

As to the bishop's preaching, Hon. Mr. Thompson 
bears the following testimony : 

" The first sermon I ever heard preached in Indiana 
was by Bishop Roberts, nearly forty years ago. I had 
just then settled in the county where he resided ; and 
when it was announced that he would preach at Bono, 
near his home, I went there to hear him. I have not 
yet forgotten the impression under which I went. Hav- 
ing been raised an Episcopalian, I had acquired certain 
ideas of a bishop, which filled my mind. I had fre- 
quently heard the venerable and most excellent Bishop 
Mead, of Virginia, and the hand of the more venerable, 
and not less excellent, Bishop White, of Pennsjdvania, 
had rested upon my head in the ceremony of confir- 
mation. To these distinguished men I attached a degree 
of honor and respect far above that which I was in the 
habit of feeling for ordinary individuals. And thus im- 
pressed, I frankly confess that I was prompted by some 
little curiosity to see Avhat sort of a man a Methodist 
bishop of Indiana could be. The weather was pleasant, 
the congregation large for the times, and the preaching 
out of doors in a beautiful grove. At the beginning of 
the sermon I stood at the outside of the audience; from 
which point, for the first time, my eye rested upon the 
venerable form of the noble old man, than whom, among all 
the varied associations of three-score years, I have never 
known a nobler or better. His gray locks were thrown 
back so as to expose to full view his magnificent fore- 



330 INDIANA METHODISM. 

head and brow, which were stamped Avith the unmis- 
takable marks of thought and intellectual power. My 
whole attention was at once arrested, and I drank in 
every word, as it fell from his lips, Avith the deepest and 
most intense interest, edging myself along to get nearer, 
as if drawn to him by a cord that was too strong to be 
resisted or broken. His introduction was in soft, but 
distinct tones, as though he were a father addressing 
kindly admonitions to his children. It was most fitly 
spoken in that almost conversational style for which he 
was eminently distinguished, and which he universally 
adopted at the commencement of his sermons. But as 
he advanced, he grew and strengthened and warmed up 
Avith his subject, and displayed such eloquence and 
poAver and Angor of thought, as has not often been heard 
in Canterbury, or York, or Cambridge, or St. Peter's. 
His clear and musical voice Avas re-echoed by the silent 
grove, and not one Avho Avas brought under its spell 
remained unmoved by its pathos. He did not employ 
tropes and figures by Avay of ornament to his discourse, 
but, grappling his subject like a giant, he portrayed 
the majesty, poAver, and love of God in breathing Avords 
and burning thoughts, that sank into the hearts and 
souls of his hearers. At one time his style Avas simple, 
yet always terse, exact, and perspicuous. At others he 
rose to the very highest summit of eloquence, and 
descended again, Avith a natural ease and dignity that 
far surpassed all the teachings of the schools. Dealing 
for a moment Avith common events, so as to arrest the 
attention and excite the earnestness of his hearers, he 
Avould, Avithout artistic action or display, carry them 
Avith him, by a sort of magic influence, into the loftier 
regions of thought and reason, exhibiting, as he pro- 
gressed, no less famiharity Avith the classic imagery of 



INDIANA METHODISM. 331 

Milton than with the inspired and majestic thoughts of 
St. Paul." 

On the 18th of January, 1844, the remains of Bishop 
Hoberts were disinterred, and removed to Greencastle. 
On the following day they were, by order of the trustees 
of the University, reinterred in the college campus. 
The religious services were conducted by Rev. John 
Miller, which were followed by an appropriate address 
b}^ Professor W. C. Larrabee. The preachers of the four 
Indiana conferences united in erecting a beautiful marble 
monument over his grave, at a cost of four hundred and 
tw^elve dollars. The monument was erected by J. W. 
Weir & Brother, of Indianapolis. The work having'been 
completed according to contract, its erection Avas cele- 
brated on the 18th of May, 1859, in the following order : 
A procession was formed at the " First Church," in Green- 
castle, under the direction of Professor Miles J. Fletcher, 
and marched to the college campus, where a platform 
and seats had been prepared. The music was led by an 
excellent choir. Appropriate portions of Scripture were 
read by F. C. Holliday. Prayer was offered by Profes- 
sor Cyrus Nutt and W. C. Smith, and an appreciative 
and richly historical funeral address w^as delivered by 
Bev. Aaron Wood. The mortal remains of the bishop's 
wife, who survived him several years, sleep by his side, 
and through the liberality of J. S. M'Donald, Esq., of 
New Albany, a substantial iron fence incloses their last 
resting-place. 

From the commencement of his ministry, and down 
to his election to the episcopacy, Mr. Boberts filled a 
class of prominent appointments, including the cities of 
Baltimore, Washington City, and Philadelphia. For 
tw^enty-seven years as a bishop he traveled over the set- 
tled portions of this country, when the facilities for trav- 



332 INDIANA METHODISM. 

eling were far different from what they are now. He 
was a model Christian gentleman, alike at home in the 
parlors of the wealthy and in the cabins of the frontier 
settlers. His qualities of person, mind, and heart fitted 
him well for his position as a Methodist bishop, whose 
diocese w^as a continent. He was " given to hospitality," 
and he showed his appreciation of learning by making 
" Indiana Asbury University " his heir, so that Avhat little 
ineans he had accumulated will continue tc promote the 
interests of sanctified learning as the years roll by. 

BISHOP SIMPSON. 

Rev. Matthew Simpson was elected to the episco- 
pacy in 1852. Although his father died when he was 
young, yet, acting upon the advice of judicious friends, 
and prompted by a strong desire for learning, he suc- 
ceeded in securing a collegiate education. He was con- 
verted in his youth, and, yielding to his convictions of 
duty, he entered the traveling ministry, in the Pittsburg 
Conference, in 1833. In 1839, he was elected President 
of Indiana Asbury University, which position he con- 
tinued to occupy until 1848, when he was elected editor 
of the Western Christian Advocate. He filled this position 
until 1852, when he was elected bishop. 

Dr. Simpson, as President of Indiana Asbury Uni- 
versity, did the cause of Methodism in general, and 
Methodist education in particular, in Indiana, a very 
great service. Denominational education among us in 
Indiana, as has been noted elsewhere, was the result of 
an inveterate prejudice against Methodism. Dr. Simp- 
son's attainments as a scholar, and his ability both as a 
platform speaker and a preacher, gave him great influ- 
ence throughout the state as a representative man, and 
enabled him utterly to destroy many of the erroneous 



■^11^ 



IJii^iffKi'lfTtit 
IT 1 11^ 



^^(•EVM.^iv/PSOMD.D., 

-ONE or THE BISHOPS OT THI IvrETHODlST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 338 

impressions that designing men had made on the public 
mind. As President of the UniA^ersity, Dr. Simpson dis- 
phiyed great financial skill and executive abilit}^ For 
some time the endowment was inadequate to meet the 
current expenses of the institution, on the most econom- 
ical scale ; but such was the popularity of the Faculty, 
under the leadership of Dr. Simpson, that the income 
from the endowment fund was cheerfully supplemented 
by contributions for current expenses, from nearly every 
pastoral charge in the state. His influence over the stu- 
dents was almost unbounded. They not only respected 
and admired him — they loved him ; and when absent 
only a few days they would, on his return, make some 
public demonstration of joy. As editor of the Western 
Christian Advocate, he met the largest expectations of the 
Church. The Church was fortunate in selecting him as 
one of her bishops. He brought to the duties of the 
episcopal office the same tireless energy, comprehensive 
plans, and singleness of purpose, that had characterized 
him as President of the University and editor of the 
Western Christian Advocate. A prince of preachers, 
Bishop Simpson's fame is more than national. His visits 
through Europe, as the representative of American Meth- 
odism, enabled him to make a profound impression on the 
public mind, and his sermons were every-where regarded 
as models of pulpit eloquence, combining, in a larger de- 
gree than almost any other man, scholarly culture, logical 
accuracy, and impassioned delivery. The bishop retains 
his habits of study. His versatility of talent, and his 
ability and willingness to work, are equaled by few. 
American Methodism has thus far been pre-eminently 
fortunate in the selection of her bishops. The office and 
the times have called for remarkable men, and the 
Church has furnished them. Bishop Simpson rendered 



334 INDIANA METHODISM. 

great service to the cause of the Union by his public lec- 
tures, his personal influence, and his wise counsels, dur- 
ing the War of the Rebellion. He contributed largely to 
the efficiency of the sanitary measures inaugurated by 
the "American Christian Commission" during the War. 
He is admired and beloved by the whole Protestant 
Church ; for, without abating any of his devotion to his 
own Church, he cultivates the truest Christian charity 
among all Christian people. 

EDWARD R. AMES. 

Edward R. Ames was born in Amesville, Ohio, May 
20, 1806, and spent his childhood and youth upon a 
farm, where he developed a remarkably vigorous phys- 
ical and mental constitution. Mr. Ames descended from 
an old Puritan stock. William Ames, originally of Som- 
ersetshire, England, came to America with his family, 
and settled in Braintree, New Plymouth Colony, Massa- 
chusetts, in 1643. He died in 1654, leaving behind him 
one son and six daughters. From this son descended a 
numerous posterity. Several of his descendants figured 
conspicuously in the scenes and events of the American 
Revolution. Fisher Ames was one of the most fiery 
and effective orators of his day. Bishop Ames's parents 
removed from Massachusetts to the North-western Ter- 
ritory in 1798. Of course young Ames's literary op- 
portunities were limited in so new a country. Itv so 
happened there was an excellent circulating library in 
the neighborhood, to which he had access ; and the 
bishop has often remarked of that library, as Carlyle 
of his attendance at the English University, that it gave 
him a taste for reading. His father died in 1823. At 
the age of twenty, he left the farm and entered as a stu- 
dent in the Ohio State University at Athens, Avhere he 



INDIANA METHODISM. 335 

spent some three years, supporting himself chiefly by 
his own exertions. During his attendance at the Uni- 
versity he experienced an evidence of sins forgiven. At 
the solicitations of Bishop Roberts, in 1828, he accom- 
panied him to the seat of the Illhiois Conference, which 
met that year in Madison, Indiana. There young Ames 
became acquainted with Rev. S. H. Thompson and John 
Dew, from Illinois; and, under their persuasions, he was 
induced to go to Illinois, and open a High-school in Leb- 
anon, which was so successful as to become the germ of 
M'Kendree College. Mr. Ames remained in Lebanon 
until 1830, when he entered the itinerant ministry in 
the Illinois Conference. When Illinois Conference was 
divided, and Indiana Conference was constituted, Mr. 
Ames was included in the Indiana Conference. In 1840, 
he was chosen a delegate to the General Conference, 
which met in Baltimore, and by that body elected Cor- 
responding Secretary of the Missionary Society for the 
South and West. In that capacity he had supervision 
of the Indian missions, and his duties required an im- 
mense amount of traveling. It was before the era of 
railroads. The office was one of great labor, but right 
nobly and efficiently were its duties performed. During 
his four years in this office, he traveled some twenty- 
five thousand miles. During one tour he passed over 
the entire frontier line, from Lake Superior on the 
north to Texas on the south — of course being com- 
pelled to camp out during most of the route, and for 
a part of the way so destitute of provisions that him- 
self and fellow-travelers subsisted several days on maple- 
sugar and water. He gathered a vast amount of in- 
formation that was made available, both by the Church 
and the Federal Government. He systematized the 
missionary work, took an inventory of the missionary 



336 INDIANA METHODISM. 

property, and got valuable grants from the Government 
for educational purposes among the Indians. The Gen- 
eral Conference of 1844 abolished the office, and Mr. 
Ames took his place among the ranks of efficient itin- 
erants in Indiana Conference. In 1849, he was elected 
to the Presidency of Indiana Asbury University, but 
declined the position. In 1852, he was elected to 
the episcopal office on the same ballot with Levi Scott, 
M. Simpson, and Osmon C. Baker. He was the first 
of our bishops to visit the Pacific coast, and was pre- 
pared by his counsels and experience to aid the breth- 
ren in laying wisely the foundations of our Church in 
that wonderful land. Bishop Ames is a man of close 
observation, of breadth of thought and comprehensive- 
ness of view. His plans are fiir-seeing and statesman- 
like. Something above the medium size, and a little 
inclined to corpulency as age comes on, with an intel- 
lectual cast of countenance, and a dignified bearing, his 
personal presence as a presiding officer is much in his 
favor. He is eminently a business man. His plans are 
practical. Few men can secure a more rapid and intelli- 
gent dispatch of business by an annual conference than 
he. Intensely patriotic, he gave the whole weight of his 
personal and official influence in favor of the Govern- 
ment in suppressing the late Bebellion. He was the 
first of our bishops to enter the Southern territory and 
reconstruct the old Church in our reconquered territory. 
As a preacher, he is eminently instructive. His man- 
ner is calm, dignified, and collected. He has that quiet- 
ness of manner that indicates conscious strength. His 
sermons, though not written, are carefully thought 
through. His style is a model of terseness and perspi- 
cuity. His sentences are never involved or obscure. 
His hearer is never in doubt as to his meaning. With- 



INDIANA METHODISM. 337 

out any display of rhetoric, he talks up into the higher 
regions of thought and feeling. While his sermons are 
richer in thought, and equally pure in diction with those 
of his earlier days, perhaps his most popular sermons 
were preached while presiding elder of a Western dis- 
trict, when, at his camp-meetings, thronging thousands 
would hang on his words, and be moved by his impas- 
sioned eloquence, as the forest is swayed by the wind. 
While the bishop is an ardent Methodist, he cultivates 
and disseminates the broadest and truest Christian cath- 
olicity ; and, while laboring to build up his own Church, 
he enjoys the confidence and friendship of the Protestant 
clergy from one end of the continent to the other. While 
he is a positive man, and, when occasion calls for it, can 
assume the functions and prerogatives of his office with 
remarkable promptness, he has, nevertheless, a great 
deal of the suaviter in modo, and he seems to take it on 
more and more. Indeed, the gentler Christian graces 
shine out more and more conspicuously as age comes on. 

22 



338 INDIANA METHODISM. 



CHAPTER XYIII. 

(FROM 1S70 TO 1872. 

Fortieth Session of the Indiana Conference — Death of B. F. Torr and 
Thomas A. Whitted — Delegates to the General Conference of 
1872 — Congratulations between the Electoral Conference and the 
Annual Conference — Statistics and Contributions — South-eastern 
Indiana Conference — Lay and Clerical Delegates to the General 
Conference — Thomas Ray — John W. Dole — William T. Saunders — 
Members — Church Property — Contributions — Largest Churches — 
Sketch of Rev. S. T. Gillett, D. D.— Twentieth Session of the 
North-west Indiana Conference — Electoral Conference — Resolu- 
tions against a Change in our Church Economy — Delegates to the 
General Conference — Members — Contributions — Educational — 
Twenty-ninth Session of the North Indiana Conference — Mem- 
bers — Contributions — Electoral Conference — Delegates to the Gen- 
eral Conference — Resolutions on Conference Boundary — Lay Dele- 
gation — Rev. Thomas Bowman, D. D., elected to the Episcopacy — 
Sketch of Bishop Bowman. 

INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

THE Indiana Conference held its fortieth session in 
the city of New Albany, beginning on Wednesday, 
September 13, 1871. Total number of preachers com- 
prising the Conference, 122. Of these, 111 were full 
members, and 11 probationers; 104 in the active work 
of the ministry, 17 superannuated, and 1 supernu- 
merary. Bishop Clark, to whose episcopal supervision 
the Conference had been assigned that year, having 
died, Bishop Scott presided. Rev. S. L. Binkley was 
elected principal secretary, and 0. H. Smith, J. H. 
Clippinger, and R. B. Martin, assistant secretaries. 

Two members had died during the year ; namely, B. 
F. Torr and Thomas A. Whitted. Brother Torr was 
admitted into the Conference in- 1860. He was for 



INDIANA METHODISM. 339 

some time a student in Asbury University. He was a 
young man of decided ability and marked individuality 
of character. Faithful and fearless in the discharge of 
duty, he was firm in his adherence to what he believed 
to be right. His last appointment was to Roberts and 
M'Kendree Charge, New Albany. He died November 
4, 1870. 

Thomas A. Whitted was a native of North Carolina. 
He was licensed to preach by the Bedford Quarterly 
Conference, in 1844. He traveled for several years as 
a su{)ply, under the direction of the presiding elder. In 
1853, he was admitted on trial in the Indiana Confer- 
ence. He was an earnest, faithful preacher, and met 
death triumphantly, March 31, 1870. 

The increase in the membership within the bounds 
of the Conference, during the year, was 2,759 ; the total 
membership, including probationers, was 21,007 ; local 
preachers, 224 ; number of churches reported, 3331, 
valued at $694,800 — the two most costly churches in 
the Conference, and perhaps in the state, being Merid- 
ian-street Church, Indianapolis, and Trinity Church, in 
Evansville. There were 73 parsonages reported, valued 
at $74,500. The contributions of members for Church 
purposes were as follows : 

For the support of the Ministry $77,784 38 

For the Superannuated Preachers 1,287 04 

For Missions 8,992 41 

For Church Extension 347 90 

For Bible Society 1,570 15 

For Sunday-school Union 204 85 

Expenses of Sunday-schools 6,382 71 

For Tract Cause 58 45 

For the Freedmen's Aid Society 235 28 

Total $96,863 17 

To which should be added the personal donation of $2,000, from that 
large-hearted and earnest Christian layman, W. C. De Pauw, Esq., of New 
Albany. 



340 INDIANA METHODISM. 

The provisional plan for the introduction of lay del- 
egates into the General Conference, having received 
more than the requisite number of votes, both from the 
ministry and the laity, the delegates from the several 
charges within the bounds of the Conference met, pur- 
suant to the provisions of said plan, on the second day 
of the Conference, September 15, 1871, and duly organ- 
ized by calling Hon. R. W. Thompson to the chair, and 
appointing F. M. Thair and Hughes East, secretaries. 
Hon. E. W. Thompson and Washington C. De Pauw 
were elected delegates to the ensuing General Confer- 
ence, to meet in Brooklyn, in May, 1872, and Asa 
Iglehart, Esq., and Colonel T. J. Smith were elected 
reserve delegates. 

The Annual Conference adopted the following reso- 
lutions, which were formally presented to the Electoral 
Conference, by a committee appointed for that purpose : 

" Whereas, the last General Conference, after careful deliberation, did, 
in its godly judgment, send forth to the Church a ' Plan of Lay Delegation,' 
for the godly consideration of the ministers and people of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church ; and, whereas, the ministers have, by vote in the Annual 
Conferences, accepted of such plan, and the laity of the Church have also, 
by vote, expressed themselves; and, whereas, by the provision of this plan, 
the quarterly conferences in the bounds of this Annual Conference have 
elected delegates to the Electoral Conference, to meet in this city Sep- 
tember 15th, to elect delegates to the General Conference of 1872; now, 
therefore, 

" 1. Resolved, That the Indiana Conference acquiesce in this great 
movement, as thus far consummated, and prays for its peaceful and wise 
consummation at the approaching General Conference. 

'• 2. Resolved, That we welcome our brethren, the laity, to the councils 
of the Church, in the confident belief that their love for the Church, and 
their interest in her prosperity, and their practical skill, will only add 
strength to our Zion, and enable her more fully and rapidly to accomplish 
her great mission in 'spreading Scriptural holiness over the land.' In this 
more intimate relation, we do most devoutly implore God's blessing alike on 
them and us. • 

" 8. Resolved, That the following members of this Conference be a 
committee to bear our fraternal greetings to the Electoral Conference, on 
Friday, the 15th inst., namely: C. Nutt, John Kiger, Wm. Meginnis, W. V. 



INDIANA METHODISM. 341 

Daniel, John Schrader, H. S. Talbott, W. C. Smith, J. C. Smith, H. Hays, 
S. Ravenscroft, J. R Williams, and G. W. Walker." 

H. S. Talbott presented the resolutions, and, on be- 
half of the Annual Conference, congratulated the Elec- 
toral Conference, and bade them a God-speed in their 
work. Hon. R. W. Thompson responded on the part of 
the laymen, and the utmost cordiality and confidence 
were manifested by all. Thus harmoniously and peace- 
fully was this radical change effected in the organic law 
of the Church. 

The ministerial delegates to the General Conference 
of 1872 were, J. J. Hight, Wm. K. Hester, Cyrus Nutt, 
and John Kiger. W. F. Harned and B. F. Rawlins 
were elected reserve delegates. 

SOUTH-EASTERN INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

The South-eastern Indiana Conference met in Wall- 
street Methodist Episcopal Church, in Jeffersonville, 
Ind., September 6, 1871. George L. Curtis was elected 
secretary, and E. L. Dolph, W. S. Mahan, and A. N. 
Marlatt, assistant secretaries. Bishop Scott presiding. 

The Laymen's Electoral Conference held its session 
on the second day of the Conference. J. C. M'Intosh, 
Esq., was elected president, and J. H. Stewart secretary. 
E. K. Hosford and J. C. M'Intosh, Esq., were elected 
delegates to the ensuing General Conference, to be held 
in Brooklyn, N. Y., in May, 1872. J. H. V. Smith, 
Esq., of Indianapolis, and D. G. Phillips, Esq., of Mad- 
ison, were elected reserve delegates. 

The ministerial delegates, on behalf of the Annual 
Conference, were, Enoch G. Wood, Sampson Tincher, 
and F. A. Hester; and the reserve delegates were W. 
Terrell and F. C. Holliday. 



342 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Three members of the Conference had died during 
the year, namely : Thomas Eay, John W. Dole, and W. 
T. Saunders. Father Ray joined the Indiana Conference 
at its session in Madison, in 1833. He had been for a 
few years on the superannuated list at the time of his 
death. He was killed by the express train, on the rail- 
road, at In wood, the place of his residence, January 31, 
1871. From some cause, he did not observe the ap- 
proaching train, as he was crossing the track, until it 
was too late for him to escape, and he was instantly 
killed. He was a good man, and doubtless "the chariots 
of Israel and the horsemen thereof" were in waiting to 
convey him to his heavenly home. 

Rev. John W. Dole entered the traveling connection 
in the Missouri Conference, in 1835. He maintained a 
good Christian and ministerial character till the day of 
his death. He came to Indiana in 1845, and was iden- 
tified with the work in Indiana from that time till the 
close of his life. He had been for a few years on the 
superannuated list. He was a good man, and met death 
triumphantly. 

Rev. W. T. Saunders was a young man of promise. 
He entered the ministry, in the South-eastern Indiana 
Conference, in the Fall of 1859. He died in Madison, 
July 29, 1871, in the thirty-fifth year of his age. 

The number of members and probationers, reported 
this Conference, was 24,390. The ministerial force com- 
prised one hundred and twenty-one traveling preachers, 
twenty-one of whom were either on the superannuated 
or supernumerary list. 

Number of churches 290 

Their probable value ....$768,500 

Number of parsonages 45 

Their probable value $47,750 



INDIANA METHODISM. 343 

The Church collections were reported as follows : 

For the support of the Ministry $70,405 06 

For the Superannuated Preachers, etc 1,282 IT 

Amount collected for the Missionary Society 7,218 49 

Amount collected for Church Extension 683 70 

Amount collected for the Tract Society 256 71 

Amount collected for the Bible Society 888 75 

Amount collected for Sunday-school Union 220 67 

Amount collected for support of Sunday-schools. ... 4,627 80 

The most expensive churches in the Conference are, 
Roberts Park Church, Indianapolis, of which Rev. J. H. 
Bayliss is the present pastor, and the First Church, in 
Greensburg, of which Rev. S. T. Gillett, D. D., is pastor. 
Roberts Park Church, when completed, will be the 
most elegant, and perhaps the best-arranged, Protestant 
church in the state. It is located in the center of an 
acre lot, fronting on Delaware and Vermont Streets, 
with alleys on the other two sides of the lot. The 
building is of white limestone, from the Ellettsville 
quarries, carved and rubbed, and edges beveled, and is 
one hundred and twenty-one feet long and seventy wide. 
The lecture-room, class-rooms, and parlors are on the 
first floor. The lecture-room will accommodate about 
eight hundred persons, and the main audience-room Avill 
seat about thirteen hundred. 

The First Church, in Greensburg, is also a two-story 
edifice. It is built of brick, capped and trimmed with 
limestone. Its arrangements for Sabbath-school, class, 
and prayer meetings are excellent. The church-tower is 
something over one hundred and seventy feet high. 

Rev. S. T. Gillett, D. D., the present pastor of the 
First Church, in Greensburg, Indiana, is a native of the 
state of New York, and came to Indiana with his father's 
family, in 1818. They landed at Old Fort Harrison, near 
where the city of Terre Haute now stands. They as- 
cended the Wabash in a family flat-boat, which was pro- 



344 INDIANA METHODISM. 

pelled by hand-power all the way from the Ohio. His 
father died in ten days after their landing, from sickness 
brought on by imprudently leaving the boat without his 
coat, to greet the Indians lining the bank, many of whom 
remained in the country to receive their annuity, accord- 
ing to treaty stipulations. Sickness prevailing exten- 
sively on the prairies, the widow, with her children, took 
refuge in the healthy wooded country near the present 
city of Rockville, in what is now Park County. Al- 
though the lands had been sold by the Indians to the 
General Government, yet many of the Indians remained. 
Among these, a mission school was formed, by Elder 
M'Coy, of the Baptist Church, and here young Gillett 
received a portion of his early education. In 1819, he 
removed to Madison, Indiana, and became a member of 
the family of his half-brother, Colonel N. B. Palmer, and 
while there, pursued a classical course, preparatory to 
the study of medicine. As a life among the sick was 
uncongenial, he made application, through Hon. Wm. 
Hendricks, United States Senator from Indiana, for an 
appointment in the Government service, and received 
that of midshipman, dated December 1, 1826. In March 
following he was ordered to active duty at New York, and 
was attached to the steam-frigate Fulton, which, after- 
ward, was blown up, with the loss of a large portion of 
her crew. His first cruise at sea was in the United 
States steamer Zm/^^^?^, stationed in the Mediterranean, 
where his vessel remained three years and four months, 
giving the officers superior facilities for visiting its classic 
shores, more especially Italy, Asia Minor, and the Gre- 
cian Archipelago. His vessel returning in 1830, he was 
detailed, and permitted to visit his Western home, after 
an absence of nearly four years. The change from boy- 
hood to manhood was such that an elder brother found it 



INDIANA METHODISM. 345 

difficult to recognize him; yet his mother, with true pa- 
rental instinct, clasped her son to her heart at first sight, 
and wept tears of joy over one who had been a subject 
of prayerful solicitude during the weary years of his 
absence. 

At that time, the Naval Academy was not in exist- 
ence as noAV organized, the Government furnishing in- 
struction for the midshipmen at navy-yards and on board 
ships in commission. As an examination for promotion 
occurred annually, for those who had been five years in 
the service, three of them at sea, and as merit deter- 
mined the place of each on the list, there was no small 
degree of anxiety on the part of the sixty composing 
the class of 1826, as to their success in the ordeal 
through which they were to pass. This induced young 
Gillett to press his studies while on shore, rather than 
indulge in the sailors' usual course of relaxation while 
on land. After some months of duty at the navy-yard 
in Pensacola, he was ordered to Baltimore, with some 
sixty others, for examination, among whom were Eaphael 
Semmes, John A. Dahlgren, 0. S. Glisson, S. C. Rowan, 
and C. S. Boggs, who were so prominent in naval affairs 
during the late Rebellion, and who, with the exception 
of Mr. Semmes, have been promoted to the Admiralty. 
The Examining Board was in session near two months, 
and, at its conclusion, placed the name of Samuel T. Gil- 
lett at the head of the list, giving Raphael Semmes, late 
Captain of the famous Alabama^ the next number below 
him. Forty-two of the class passed, some failing, others 
fearing to come before the Board. Young Gillett's suc- 
cess was the more gratifying as the officers from the 
Eastern States affected to believe that those from the 
West could not compete with them. 

In 1830 he was again ordered to sea, and was favored 



34.6 INDIANA METHODISM. 

with duty on board the Delaware^ ship of the line. Af- 
ter landing His ExcellencVj Edward Livingston, Minis- 
ter to France, at Cherbourg, the officers visited Paris, 
and other cities between that and the British Channel. 
The vessel then proceeded to the Mediterranean, and, 
during a stay of two years, he visited the south of 
France, west coast of Italy, Egypt, and Palestine. 
While witnessing an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, near 
Naples, he was placed in a perilous condition from a 
shower of molten lava, thrown from the crater in an ob- 
lique direction, falling in pieces of several pounds' weight 
around him and his companions. In Egypt he, with a 
company of officers, passed up the Nile to Cairo, and, 
being favored with horses and grooms from the pasha's 
stables, accompanied by Mr. Gliddon, United States 
Yice-Consul, visited the Pyramids, ruins of Memphis, 
Catacombs, and many other interesting localities in that 
semi-barbarous country, once the seat of literature and 
refinement as existing in ancient times. In Palestine, 
they were received by the Governor of Jerusalem, and 
provided with quarters in that most interesting of all 
cities to Bible students. Having peculiar facilities here, 
they visited the sacred localities of this city and the ad- 
jacent country, and then, rejoining the ship at Jaffa — 
the Joppa of Scripture — they passed up the coast, visit- 
ing Tyre, Sidon, and Beyroot, where the lamented 
Kingsley closed his eventful life. The Delaware then 
returned to Port Mahon, head-quarters of the squadron, 
and Mr. Gillett to the United States. We hfive given 
this brief review of his nautical life, as that and his ex- 
tensive travels have had an important bearing on his 
usefulness as a minister. 

On his return home, he Avas placed on "leave of ab- 
sence," and entered the service of ^^ State of Indiana 



INDIANA METHODISM. 347 

as civil engineer in the preliminary survey and location 
of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. While thus 
engaged, the great crisis of his life occurred, Avholly rev- 
olutionizing his views of duty and course of action. Re- 
flecting on the insufficiency of worldly enjoyments — of 
which he had freely partaken — to satisfy the demands 
of the soul, he resolved to act on a remark dropped in 
his hearing by Mrs. Gillett, that " happiness was to be 
found in religion." Examining the Bible, to learn in 
wdiat religion consists, he was fully awakened to a sense 
of his condition and danger as a smner. After two 
weeks of penitence and prayer, the Savior came to his 
relief about noon, October 6, 1836, while at home read- 
ing the Methodist Discipline, his faith being aided by an 
illustration from sea-faring life. As a Church member, 
he resolved to live up to his whole duty ; and to learn 
this, he commenced to read the Discipline through. 
While reading the Articles of Faith, he came to the sec- 
ond, when his attention was riveted to the statement of 
the two-fold nature of the Son of God — " very God and 
very man" — as exactly suited to human redemption. 
"If," said he to himself, "a soldier and sailor should be 
at variance, both parties would accept as mediator a ma- 
rine, who, as soldier serving on shipboard, is both soldier 
and sailor. Now, Christ is very God and very man, and 
into his hands I commit my case." Immediate relief 
followed this act of trust, and the clear witness of the 
Spirit was realized in a few minutes, accompanied with 
joy unspeakable and full of glory. Such was his expe- 
rience, as he has sometimes stated in the social meetings 
of the Church. Religious matters now appeared so im- 
portant, that he resolved on a life henceforth to be de- 
voted to human salvation, and immediately resigned his 
office of civil engineer, and commenced a course of 



348 INDIANA METHODISM. 

theological study. On the third of March, 1837, he was 
confirmed by the United States Senate as lieutenant in 
the navy. Being passionately fond of the sea, he was, 
for a season, tempted to retain the commission so unex- 
pectedly sent him, and, for the present, decline active 
ministerial life. The immediate result was a loss of 
religious enjoyment, and distaste for spiritual exercises. 
Being on a visit to his brother-in-law, Bev. W. H. Goode, 

D. D., at New Albany, he attended a camp-meeting near 
by, and, after a severe struggle over the sacrifice de- 
manded, resolved to end the matter forthwith, resign his 
commission, and enter on the ministerial life. His re- 
ligious peace returned, and, entering the altar at the 
camp-ground, he commenced, among the mourners, the 
future work of his life. 

Soon after, in the Fall of 1837, in a letter to the Sec- 
retary of the Navy, he tendered his resignation, assign- 
ing the reasons impelling him to the sacrifice. The 
resignation was accepted, and the matter forever settled. 
He was duly licensed as a local preacher, and his recom- 
mendation from the Madison Quarterly Conference to 
the Indiana Annual Conference was presented by Bev. 

E. G. Wood, D. D., Presiding Elder, and he was received 
on trial at the session of 1837, in New Albany, and ap- 
pointed to Lawrenceburg Circuit, James Jones and Silas 
Bawson, his colleagues. Their labors were successful, 
and extensive revivals followed. In 1838, he was re- 
appointed to the same work, with Charles Bonner in 
charge. Lawrenceburg having been made a station, 
the circuit was called Wilmington. Extensive revivals 
crowned their labors in the twenty-two appointments, 
and seventeen hundred and ninety-nine members were 
returned to Conference. In 1839 and 1840, he was on 
Bising Sun Circuit, but was transferr,ed to the charge of 



INDIANA METHODISM. 349 

the Union Bethel, Louisville, Kentucky, by Bishop Soule, 
December, 1840. In 1841, he was sent to Lawrenceburg 
Station, but in May following was ordered to the navy- 
yard. New York, having been commissioned as chaplain 
in the navy, by Mr. Tyler. He remained there several 
months, but became satisfied he would be more useful in 
the regular work, resigned his commission, and was re- 
appointed to Lawrenceburg. In 1843 and 1844, he was 
in charge of Terre Haute Station, North Indiana Confer- 
ence ; in 1845, of Greencastle Station; and in 1846 and 
1847, of Roberts Chapel, at Indianapolis. He was then 
four years on the Centerville District as presiding elder, 
and was delegate from the North Indiana Conference to 
the General Conference in 1852. At the close of this 
year, he was elected President of the Fort Wayne Fe- 
male College, but declined the appointment, and Avas 
stationed at Asbury Chapel, Indianapolis, South-eastern 
Indiana Conference. While on the Centerville District, 
he was also elected President of Whitewater College, 
but served only until a successor could be obtained, pre- 
ferring the regular work. In 1853, he was sent to the 
Connersville District, and remained three years. In 
1856-57, he was in charge of Centenary Methodist 
Episcopal Church, New Albany, Indiana Conference. 
In 1858, he was on the Bloomington District. In 1859, 
he was placed in charge of Locust-street Church, Evans- 
ville, and remained two years. In 1861, he was placed 
on Evansville District. From Evansville District he 
was removed, in 1862, to Wesley Chapel, Indianapolis, 
and remained two years. In 1864 and 1865, he was on 
Bloomington Station, but was relieved, early in 1866, 
and placed in the Centenary agency, and raised, in con- 
nection with his colleague. Rev. Dr. Hight, over $30,000, 
in cash and subscriptions, for our literary and benevolent 



350 INDIANA METHODISM. 

institutions. In the Fall of 1866, he was placed on the 
Indianapolis District, where he remained two years, when, 
on the division of the district by act of the General Con- 
ference in changing the boundary lines, he was again 
placed in charge of Asbury Station, Indianapolis, where 
he remained two years, and was removed, in the Fall of 
1870, to the First Church, in Greensburg, where he is 
now laboring. Dr. Gillett's ministry has been abundantly 
bl^essed in the awakening and conversion of sinners, and 
in the sanctification of believers, as well as in promoting 
the educational and benevolent enterprises of the Church. 

NORTH-WEST INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

The North-west Indiana Conference held its twen- 
tieth session in Crawfordsville, Indiana, beginning Sep- 
tember 6, 1871, Bishop Ames presiding. J. C. Reed 
was elected secretary, and L. Taylor and J. L. Boyd 
assistants. 

On the second day of the session the Laymen's 
Electoral Conference convened, pursuant to the provis- 
ional plan for lay delegation. Mark Jones was elected 
president ; A. S. Morrow and Joseph Miller, vice-pres- 
idents ; and W. C. Smith was chosen secretary, with R. 
S. Tennant as assistant secretary. Hon. H. S. Lane 
and John Brownfield, Esq., were elected delegates to 
the ensuing General Conference, to be held in Brooklyn, 
in May, 1872. 

Congratulations were exchanged between the Lay- 
men's Electoral Conference and the Annual Conference. 
The following preamble and resolutions, offered by Hon. 
Henry S. Lane, were adopted by the Electoral Con- 
ference : 

^^ Whereas^ the doctrines and economy of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church have been signally blessed, in the conversion and salvation of mul- 
tiplied thousands during the last one hundred years; and, whereas, we are 



INDIANA METHODISM. 351 

unfalteringly opposed to all radical changes In that form of Church govern- 
ment which has so efficiently administered the Word of Life to millions 
of anxious hearers ; and, ivhereas, we hear with sincere regret that an effort 
may be made, at the next General Conference, to introduce great, and we 
fear dangerous, innovations in the government of our beloved Church ; 
therefore, 

" Resolved^ That we, the members of the Electoral Conference of the 
North-west Indiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in Con- 
ference assembled, declare that we are opposed to any change whatever in 
our Church economy, looking to alteration in our plan of general super- 
intendency. 

" Resolved^ That we believe a quadrennial election of bishops In our 
Church would be fraught with great danger, and would imperil her peace, 
prosperity, and success. 

" Resolved, That, in the opinion of this Electoral Conference, the effi- 
ciency and almost unparalleled success of the Church, in the past, has been 
largely attributable, under God, to the Christian zeal, energy, and efficiency 
of our general superintendents; and that the life-tenure in that office is 
essential to its Christian power and usefulness. 

^''Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to bear our fra- 
ternal greetings to the bishop and members of the North-west Indiana 
Conference, now in session in this city, and ask most respectfully and ear- 
nestly their concurrence in the foregoing preamble and resolutions." 

Hon. Henry S. Lane, Mark Jones, and John Brown- 
field, Esqs., were appointed said Committee. Hon. H. 
S. Lane addressed the Conference on behalf of the 
Electoral Conference; and at the close of his address, on 
motion, the Conference unanimously concurred in the 
foregoing preamble and resolutions. 

The clerical delegates to the General Conference 
were, A. A. Gee, J. C. Reed, N. L. Brakeman, and S. 
Godfrey ; reserve delegates, A. Wood and L. Taylor. 

The reports showed : Members and probationers, 
22,010; number of churches, 261; value, $743,268; 
number of parsonages, 68; value, $94,118. Contribu- 
tions : For Missions, $5,529.52 (being a falling off from 
the contributions of the preceding year of $666.76) 
Church Extension, $463.60 ; Bible Society, $1,622.92 
Sunday-school Union, $161.50; Tract Society, $129.62 
superannuated preachers, etc., $1,410.45. 



352 INDIANA METHODISM. 

The Conference is earnestly devoted to the good 
work of fostering our institutions of learning, and directs 
its patronage to Indiana Asbury University, Fort Wayne 
College, Stockwell Collegiate Institute, Valparaiso Male 
and Female College, and Hussellville Academy. The 
Conference expressed its appreciation of Christian edu- 
cation, in connection with Indiana Asbury University, in 
the following words : " The Church and Conference 
surely can not complain; for, of the thirty-two who 
graduated June 22, 1871, seven are already in the min- 
istry, and we believe at least four more will yet enter 
the regular work. Ten are sons and daughters of min- 
isters ; the greater number are members of the Church, 
and devoted Christians." 

NORTH INDIANA CONFERENCE. 

The North Indiana Annual Conference held its 
twenty-ninth session in Simpson Chapel, Muncie, Ind., 
commencing March 27, 1872, Bishop Scott presiding. 
M. H. Mendenhall was elected secretary, and E. F. 
Hasty, D. P. Hartman, and H. N. Herrick, assistants. 

The number of members and probationers reported 
was 29,856; number of churches, 371 J; value, $821,- 
100; number of parsonages, 91; value, $114,655. The 
Church contributions were as follows : 

For Superannuated Preachers, etc $1,469 00 

For Missions 8,719 03 

For Church Extension Society 420 38 

For the Tract Society 190 95 

For the Bible Society 1,910 49 

For the Sunday-school Union 217 70 

Educational Collection 765 00 

For General Conference Expenses 507 97 

Extra Missionary Collection 946 56 

For Woman's Foreign Missionary Society 421 55 

The Electoral Conference of Lay Delegates convened 
on the second day of the session. , Joshua H. Mellett, 



INDIANA METHODISM. 353 

Esq., of Newcastle, was chosen as chairman, and C. C. 
Binkley, Esq., of Richmond, was chosen secretary. J. 
A. Funk and W. R. West, Esqs., were elected delegates 
to the ensuing General Conference, to be held in Brook- 
lyn, N. Y., in May, 1872. Congratulations were ex- 
changed between the Electoral Conference of La^^men 
and the Annual Conference, and addresses were deliv- 
ered by representatives from each. 

The delegates to the General Conference, from the 
Annual Conference, were, W. H. Goode, Thomas Bow- 
man, Wm. S. Birch, N. II. Phillips, and 0. V. Lemon. 
The reserve delegates were : Ministers, M. H. Menden- 
hall and L. W. Monson ; and for the laymen, G. W. 
Milburn and A. C. Swayze. 

In no part of the state is Methodism advancing more 
steadily and rapidly than within the bounds of the North 
Indiana Conference. The General Conference of 1868 
having detached that portion of the North Indiana Con- 
ference lying in Marion County, and attached the same 
to the South-eastern Indiana Conference, the Conference 
adopted a series of strong resolutions against said alter- 
ation in their Conference boundary, and instructed their 
delegates to the General Conference to use their influ- 
ence to have the former boundary restored. Their me- 
morial w^as duly considered, both in the Committee on 
Boundaries and before the General Conference, but the 
boundaries of Conferences in Indiana were left substan- 
tially as they were settled at the General Conference 
of 1868. 

The introduction of lay delegation into the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, by the General Conference of 
1872, marks an epoch in the history of the Church. 
The freedom from undue excitement, and the harmony 
and concert of action between the preachers and people, 

23 



354 INDIANA METHODISM. 

was a Yeiy striking proof of the mutual confidence ex- 
isting between them, and promises well for the future 
harmony and increased efficiency of the Church. This 
change in the constitution of the Church received the 
support of all the delegates from the several Indiana 
conferences. 

Indiana Methodism was well represented in the 
General Conference of 1872, both by her lay and cler- 
ical delegates. And Indiana Methodism was honored in 
the selection of Rev. Thomas Bowman, D. D., as one of 
the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

BISHOP BOWMAN. 

Bishop Bowman is a native of Pennsylvania. He was 
born near Berwick, Columbia County, Pennsylvania, July 
15, 1817. His ancestors, for two or three generations, 
were noted Methodists, distinguished for the fervor of 
their piety, their fidelity in the discharge of religious 
duties, and also for their enterprise and frugality in tem- 
poral affairs. His parents and grandparents, on his 
father's side, were Methodists. His grandparents, on 
his mother's side, Avere Scotch Presbyterians. His grand- 
father, Bev. Thomas Bowman, was an efficient local 
preacher, and introduced Methodism into Columbia and 
the adjoining counties at an early day. He was an ear- 
nest and an indefatigable worker, frequently -spending 
weeks from home carrying on revival meetings. The 
bishop's father was a steward, class-leader, trustee of the 
Church, and Sunday-school superintendent during the 
most of his life. His parents were both noted for their 
industry and economy. They were remarkably exem- 
plary in the performance of their rehgious duties, not 
allowing any thing to interfere with them, either in the 
family or the Church. The children were uniformly 



INDIANA METHODISM. 355 

taken to Church. They accompanied their parents not 
only to public worship, but also to the class-meetings and 
love-feasts. The bishop was consecrated to God by his 
parents from his birth, especially by his mother, who 
earnestly desired that God would call her son to the 
work of the Christian ministry. He early evinced a 
fondness for books, and read almost every thing he could 
find; for books were then less numerous than now, espe- 
cially books that were likely to interest boys. The bish- 
op's childhood home had much to do in the formation of 
his character. He was remarkably fond of history and 
biogra{)hy, and early stored his mind Avith a large amount 
of solid information. At the age of fourteen, through 
the influence of Rev. George Lane, who was subsequently 
Book Agent, young Bowman was sent to the Wesleyan 
Academy, at Wilbraham, Massachusetts. The next year 
he went to Oneida Conference Seminary, at Cazenovia, 
New York, it being nearer home. Here, on the first of 
January, 1833, he was converted to God in one of the 
most remarkable revivals of religion ever witnessed in 
our land. Almost every student in the Seminary was 
converted. Bev. W. C. Larrabee was Principal of the 
Seminary at the time. Not a few of the leading men, 
in Church and State, throughout the land, received an 
important part of their literary training under the in- 
struction of Professor Larrabee. Immediately on his 
conversion, young Bowman united Avith the Church, and 
determined to do his whole duty as a Christian with what- 
ever ability he had. His piety was of the most earnest, 
happy, hopeful type, that at once opened before him 
doors of usefulness, and won for him the society and 
friendship of the better class of his fellow-students. In 
the Fall of 1835, he entered the Junior Class in Dickin- 
son College, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, then under the 



356 INDIANA METHODISM. 

Presidency of Rev. Jolm P. Durbin; Drs. Emory, 
M'Clintock, W. H. Allen, and Mr. Caldwell being Pro- 
fessors. The bishop always expresses himself deeply 
indebted to these men for his religious growth, and 
especially to the teaching and preaching of Dr. Durbin. 

Having completed the College Course, he graduated 
in 1837, and studied law one year. His legal studies 
have, doubtless, been of value to him through life, al- 
though Providence designed him for a different sphere 
of labor. His impressions of duty to preach the Gospel, 
which had followed him nearly all his life, became so 
strong that he could not prosecute his legal studies. He 
accepted license to preach, and, in the Spring of 1839, 
entered the Baltimore Annual Conference, and was sent 
to Beaver Meadow Mission, where he had a happy and 
successful year in a rough field of labor. 

In 1840, at the earnest solicitations of the Faculty, 
he took charge of the Grammar School of Dickinson 
College, to which he was appointed by the bishop, where 
he remained three years, most of the time as colleague 
of Rev. L. Scott, now the venerable Bishop Scott. Mr. 
Bowman's health being delicate, he then took a super- 
numerary relation, and for five years did such work as 
he could. In 1848 he was appointed Principal of Dick- 
inson Seminary, at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He 
organized and opened the institution, and presided over it 
for ten years, leaving a fine property and a school of about 
four hundred students. During the years that he had 
charge of the Seminary, he preached as often as any of 
the stationed preachers, traveling over the country in 
his own conveyance for nearly a hundred miles in every 
direction. 

In 1858, he was stationed at Lewisburg, Pennsyl- 
vania, and at the end of one year was called to the 



INDIANA METHODISM. 357 



Presidency of Indiana Asbuiy University, where he re- 
mained until elected by the General Conference of 1872 
to the responsible position of Bishop of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

Although most of his life has been given to the work 
of Christian education, it formed no part of Bishop Bow- 
man's plan of life when he entered the ministry. The 
pastoral w^ork has always been his delight, and, left to 
his own choice, that would have been his chosen field of 
labor; but when he consecrated his life to God and the 
Church, he determined to do whatever work the Church 
might call him to do, to do it cheerfully and to the utmost 
of his ability. Bishop Bowman's willingness to work, and 
his ability to work well, have caused him to lead a very 
busy life. While in Dickinson Seminary, he did the 
work of nearly three men, acting as principal, agent, and 
stew^ard, averaging from seven to nine hours a day. 

His special sermons, lectures, and platform addresses, 
while they have been models as to matter and style, 
have been so numerous as to seem to leave but little 
leisure for the performance of other duties, while they, 
in fact, have not been taken into the account as any part 
of his regular work. 

More than forty men are now in the active work of 
the ministry who were under his care and instruction 
while at Dickinson Seminary, besides those who have 
gone out from the halls of Asbury University since he 
assumed the Presidency of that institution. Without 
his knowledge, in 1864, Bishop Bowman was elected 
Chaplain to the United States Senate, which place he 
filled during one session of Congress. The General 
Conference of 1864 appointed him a co-delegate w^ith 
Bishop Janes to the Wesleyan Conference, of Great 
Britain. 



358 INDIANA METHODISM. 

In 1859, he received the degree of Doctor of 
Divinity. 

Bishop Bowman's scholarship is thorough, and his 
career as an educator has been a brilliant one. But, 
after all, he has been distinguished through life as a 
preacher. His sermons give proof of having been care- 
fully thought through; but they are never written. The 
bishop uses no notes in the pulpit. His style is per- 
spiciious, his ideas are never involved, and his hearers 
are never in doubt about his meaning. His manner is 
easy and natural, and at the same time earnest and often 
impassioned. Ripe in Christian experience, and rejoic- 
ing in the assurance of faith, he leads his hearers to 
contemplate, and often to experience, the freeness and 
fullness of a present salvation. The power of faith and 
the joy of salvation are exhibited in his own experience, 
and glow in all his sermons. 

While Bishop Bowman's life has been largely devoted 
to literary pursuits, and much of it spent in literary so- 
ciety, there is no ostentatious display of learning, either 
in his conversation or his sermons. Few men have as 
many elements of personal popularity as Bishop Bowman. 
He is eminently social, and his conversational powers are 
of the first order. He is so genial and full of sunshine, 
so hopeful and brave, that his personal presence is felt 
to be a blessing. His personal popularity, combined with 
his superior ability as a platform and pulpit orator, cause 
him to be called on frequently in the dedication of 
churches, and on occasions where large sums of money 
are to be raised ; and on such occasions the expectations 
of his friends are never disappointed. Few men, in any 
part of the connection, were called on as frequently, or 
invited to go as far, to dedicate churches, as was Dr. 
Bowman, during the ten years immediately preceding 



INDIANA METHODISM. 359 

his election to the episcopacy ; and few, if any, raised 
ns much money for Church enterprises during that time 
as he did. Among his first efforts of this kind, after his 
election to the episcopacy, was in Roberts Park Church, 
Indianapolis, where he made an appeal to the congrega- 
tion for a subscription to complete their new church, and 
the response was a subscription of about thirty-eight 
thousand dollars. The pastor, Rev. J. H. Bayliss, had 
prepared the way by a sermon on the preceding Sab- 
bath, and co-operated efficiently in securing the contri- 
bution, which, taken all together, was one of unprece- 
dented liberality. 

As President of the University, Bishop Bowman was 
eminently successful. His influence over the young 
men was almost unbounded. He governed without 
seeming to do it. There was no disi3la,y of authority, 
and yet obedience v;as promptly secured. The students 
loved him as a father, and confided in him as a friend. 
Many a poor young man has been encouraged by him to 
secure a good education, who, but for his counsel and 
the inspiration of his hopefulness, would have given up 
in despair. 

The Church has much to hope from Bishop Bowman 
as one of her chief pastors. And the Methodists of 
Indiana have only to regret that his residence is removed 
from among us, and the position that he has so efficiently 
filled, as President of our chief institution of learning, 
will have to be filled by another. 

Bishop Bowman has hitherto led too active a life to 
allow him much leisure for the use of his pen. It is to 
be hoped that, in his present position he will be able to 
give to the Church, in a permanent form, much that has 
fallen from his lips in eloquent appeals and in per- 
spicuous and convincing {irgument. With our present 



360 INDIANA METHODISM. 

episcopal force^ the Church has a right to expect the 
literary labors^ as well as the preaching and executive 
functions, of her bishops, and that our literature shall 
be enriched by the contributions of their pens, as well 
as guided to greater efficiency by the wisdom of their 
counsels and the inspiration of their zeal. 



THE END. 



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